yes the stock PI instake isn't bad, but look at the low end improvements from a Bullit manifold. we're talking abouta 25ft/lbs increase down low as well as a few peak hp. now on a F/I car, you can gain as much as 40rwhp with a Bullit intake. so there is significant power to be had from a good aftermarket intake for any 2V. as far as blowing up, metal intakes don't blow up into shards like plastic intakes. they usually just blow a hole or pop a gasket. and metal intakes are much harder to blow.
That, and you can't port and polish a plastic intake. That BBK says it has some meat on it for porting and polishing, which helps if you plan on port-matching it to some aftermarket heads.
