[bnmorgan]

Originally Posted by bnmorgan

There is something similar called aerospike (not the rocket engine) that is used on some missile systems, which is a section of a sphere (dish?) on an extended pole at the nose of the craft. I've seen them used on sub-launched missiles to create a cavitation bubble that the missile flies thru until it breeches the surface, and have seen them also on atmospheric launched missiles, presumably for the same concept of pre-punching the hole in the air with a smaller frontal area and then letting the bigger body fly through the expanding cone of cavitated air created. if it could be made retractable, it could be worth a try in automotives.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/40528006/Full-Text