The whole point and/or pointlessness of the argument is the two cars, despite being both performance cars, appeal to different demographics within the sportscar buyers market.
Vette: old man's (50-something, baby boomer) car, sportscar *** cruiser, bought partially for the performance and partially for the sheer romance of the nameplate. That it's shtonking fast is beside the point... but it's a nice bonus.
Elise: bought for track duty. Yes, it can be used as a daily driver, but you don't
buy it for that reason, much like you don't buy a Viper to commute to work, like
some dolts do. You buy the Elise simply to be the fastest guy on trackdays.
Of course, you don't buy a Corvette to go to work, either, but you don't buy it for the track. You buy it to cruise. There's a good reason why the Corvette has intergalactic gearing compared to the buzzy little Elise.