If you ever get the chance to listen to Burt Rutan speak, do it.
On different subject, a while back someone asked what kind of mileage
the Honda CVCC stratified charge engine got. My brother had one of the
first sold locally, a 1977 Accord. 45-47 mpg during extended highway
driving. Adequate power and plenty of interior room. How far we've come.
Al Koivisto



Yeah, but that Civic didn't have crash proof bumpers, 14 airbags,
door guard beams, power windows, seats, steering, air conditioning,
Bluetooth, remote start, catalytic perverter, navigation system,
backup camera and a myriad of government mandated stuff, etc ad
nauseum!  Compare the weight of today's Civic to that of the 77
models.  It is almost impossible to find a car today that is less
than 3,000 pounds and lots are between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds.  These
cars are a lot more comfy and carry a lot more safety and
anti-pollution stuff and they still get excellent gas mileage.

As a counter example, I recall a 54 Dodge that was in my family when
I was a kid, a 6 cylinder economy model.  No power anything and only
an AM radio.  As the more economical engine choice, compared to the
V-8s, we got 16 and 17 MPG on trips!  Wheeeeeee!  Nowadays, a fully
loaded Suburban does better than that!  And it is a lot faster!

SD


Thanks SD. I was going to make a similar point, but as I have a vested interest in our domestic auto industry, I didn't want to get beat up as biased.
Brings back memories, though. In the mid "70's as one of our late night HS parties was drawing to a close Six of us found a Honda CVCC in the apartment complex, gently lifted it up, flipped it over and set it down on it's roof in the same spot it was parked in.
C. Smith