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I want to sum up where I am heading with this and what I am after.
We can all agree that until some magic free horsepower fuel of the future comes along getting better mileage with the technology we have is the only option and is also a compromise.
Design and fabrication is what I have done for a living for many years. In the past I have focused on performance not mileage and built some pretty nasty cars. My latest build which is pretty much waiting for me to bolt it together is a 1963 MG midget that I auto-x. I got the chassis out of the blackberries at a friends house for $200, and spent a year building it up. I replaced all the MG running gear with a myriad of components, the rear end is a 87 RX-7 IRS narrowed 14" with posi, attached to coilovers which pick up a custom shock tower in the trunk. The front also has RX-7 hubs, spindles, and brakes with 92 prelude upper A-arms and aftermarket coilovers tied into another custom built shock tower. I stripped the body, cut out the stock fenders and rivited/moulded on fiberglass wide body fenders, which allowed fitting the car with 13x8 slicks. Originally I fitted it with a stock 12A rotary engine, it was very quick as it was under 1300#s. The rotary was a pig though and in the last few years parts have gotten harder to get and more expensive.....so I decided to swap....shoehorn..... in a japanese market nissan SR20DET. It has been quite a task. I had to notch and re-enforce the frame to clear the clutch slave, and purchased an aftermarket manifold so I could remount the turbo higher to clear the footwell. I did all my mods and changes, test fit everything, took it apart and fully welded and painted everything, and then our auto-x club lost it's places to race so it's just been sitting.
I really enjoy driving the car and thought "why do I need anything more than this to go to work and back?"
Being such a small light car should also yield good mileage.
I started considering building another one using D-mod prep parts which are more aero and not widebody, but that still left me with a convertable roadster type car which isn't very practical in this wet "evergreen" state.
My fascination with aero shapes goes way back, as a kid I was always amazed that I could take the lamborghini body and put it on 4 different slot car chassis's and that would always be the fastest one..
I am designing this one from the ground up built around the components I wish to use, because I don't have to compromise using an existing cheap steel chassis and put up with a production car that had to be designed to fit and perform for the general public.
Look at the front and rear view of the prius. The sides are pretty flat and there is not alot of curves on the sides. They focus on splitting the air over and under the vehicle, and I believe that often the curves or rounded shapes that deflect air to the side may cause more tubulance and drag, in the same way airplane wings have the turned up tips because swirls of turbulance off of the straight cut ends made the last few feet of wing in-effective.
I don't mind sitting on basically a padded floor leaned back at 20* if that's what it takes to get good mpg and as a bonus also enjoy a low CG for handling purposes.
As far as the aero design is considered, it may come down to just building it and go drive it. The aluminum nose shape can always be played with if the car has too much or not enough downforce.
I am still contemplating using the upper firewall dash and A-pillars from a Civic to ease the whole controls situation, but then that means a bolted steel/alum connection which may be more pain than it's worth.
Overall I'm simply looking to combine a few things together...
The sleekness and aero of a sports car/exotic
The efficiency and practicality of the lean burn VTEC engines
Lightweight materials and components(just get away from damn iron and steel)
A transmission that doesn't spin the engine at 3500 rpm on the freeway
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