Auto X-Prize: Cornell's Frankenstein Aerodynamics

[Rokeby]

It sounds like Cornell has been lurking here on EcoModder:

"Rather than use a single car for the starting point, the team pulled
together sections from several cars, Frankenstein-style, for optimum
aerodynamics. For the chassis, the team selected parts from the Subaru
Sambar, a Japanese minibus, which has an unusually narrow frame. "It was
really the narrowest thing we could find," says team president Trey Riddle.
A skinny car means less frontal surface area of the car, which reduces the
amount of air it will have to push out of the way during driving. While this
skinny frame will reduce drag, it presented a problem in terms of stability—
especially when it's saddled with heavy battery packs that are a necessity in
this 100-mpg race.

"'Generally, good aero and good stability go hand in hand,' says Nina
Tortosa, the performance engineer in GM's aero lab. 'Good aerodynamics
can improve stability, in the sense that properly managing how the airflow
sheds off the back of the vehicle will affect stability—if the shedding is
optimized for low drag, stability will improve.' However, while aerodynamics
can augment a car's stability, it can't fix a high center of gravity, which was
what the Cornell team was faced with."

100 mpg Cornell Team's Hybrid Electric Challenger - Popular Mechanics