[slideways...]

really... how much does an 03 cobra cost? for that matter how much does the car(00 cobra R) it raced against cost?
the cobra R and elise were chosen because their price was basically the same

and no, live axle wont add .5 sec. no way

when FWD drag cars started using wheelie bars, that didnt even add .5 seconds, and that was with 400+hp lightweight cars.

the cobra R is just as much of a race car as the elise. your telling me that an SVT created cobra that had different parts than almost any other mustang wasnt created to be a race car?
all the options you talk about are just weight, and youd think the 185 hp and 250ftlb advantage would offset this...