just recently there was a report on the Autosalon Circuit Battle. the following is a list of cars that attended:
MX-5
Nissan 300ZX
Honda Civic
Mitsubishi EVO's IV, VI, VIII, IX
BMW M Roadster (99)
Honda S2000 turbocharged
Nissan 180SX
Nissan skyline - a HR31 not that great and a R33 GT-R
Porsche GT3
BMW M3
BMW 328
Honda Integra(type R)
Lotus Exige
Subaru WRX
out of all these cars that participated, the MX-5 came out on top the mx-5 was built by a workshop called Mania down in sydney. it was turbocharged running about 10psi i believe, only about 140kw at the wheels, and weighed about a tonne.
this just goes to show that boats like the gtr and M3 really arent that quick when you put them up againt a small roadster with similar mods. just remember, almost every other car there had a heap more power than the mx5 as well. all the drivers were of about the same skill level as well, and frequented the tracks.
so next time you pull up next to a "hairdresser's car" dont laugh, its better than you