Fast, Clean Speedboat for the Green-Minded Thrillseeker
 

One of the founders of Aptera Motors turns his eyes to the water with a gas-electric wakeboat that works a lot like the Chevrolet Volt.
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Aviation Industry Lays Out a Decent Environmental Plan
 

The 11 point plan contains a lot of boilerplate, but there are some solid suggestions for using technology and new efficiencies to reduce the industry's carbon footprint.
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Gallery: Wired.com's Favorite Aerodynamic Cars
 

<img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/nuna_t.jpg'></img>: <p>Aerodynamics, Enzo Ferrari once said, is for people who can't build engines.</p>

<p><em>Il Commendatore</em> may have had a point when he said that in 1957, a time when engines were big, gas was cheap and "carbon footprint" meant you'd stepped in motor oil. But aerodynamics is paramount today as automakers scramble to increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions without building cars only a circus clown could love.</p>

<p>Maximizing aerodynamic efficiency will only grow more important, particularly as hybrids and electric cars become increasingly common, because a car that slices the wind cleanly requires less energy to propel it. For that reason, automakers have been trying to cheat the wind since the earliest days of the automobile.
</p><p>
Here's a look at Wired's favorite aerodynamic cars.
</p>

<p>
<strong>Left:</strong> One of the most aerodynamic cars ever built wasn't designed by engineers at an auto company, but by students at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. It's called Luna, it's a solar race car and it's got a supersleek drag coefficient, or Cd, of just 0.07. This particular car won the World Solar Challenge in 2007, marking the school's fourth consecutive win.
</p>
<img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/turbina_full_t.jpg'></img>: <p>The 1952 Fiat Turbina was the first European car powered by a turbine, and it was for 30 years one of the most aerodynamic cars ever built. Yeah, it was a concept car and so it never saw production, but that didn't make its Cd of 0.14 any less impressive &mdash; even if it looks like something Evel Knievel would have driven.</p><img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/aptera2e_t.jpg'></img>: <p>Maximizing aerodynamic efficiency was the first, second and third priorities Aptera Motors had for the 2e. The three-wheeled, electric two-seater has a shot at winning the Progressive Automotive X-Prize race to build the first production car to exceed 100 mpg. With a Cd of 0.15, the 2e will be the most aerodynamic production car on the road when it starts rolling off an assembly line in October.</p><img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/vw_t.jpg'></img>: <p>VW designed the bullet-shaped One-Liter concept, unveiled in 2002, for maximum fuel economy, so aerodynamic efficiency was paramount. The car slices the wind like a scalpel thanks to a Cd of 0.159. It's also supermodel light, weighing just 660 pounds. One-Liter goes 100 kilometers on a liter of gas, hence the name. That translates to 235 mpg.</p><img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/ev1_t.jpg'></img>: <p>The EV1 was revolutionary in almost every regard, from its electric drivetrain to the amount of time it spent in the wind tunnel. Its wind-cheating shape &mdash; its Cd was just 0.195 &mdash; was essential to maximizing battery range. GM unceremoniously killed EV1 in 2003, but it lives on in the Chevrolet Volt and remains the most aerodynamic production car yet built.</p><img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/TATRA_T77a_t.jpg'></img>: <p>Everything about the Tatra T77a was cool, from its flowing lines to the V8 engine mounted way out in back. It was built in Prague, and it had a Cd of 0.212 &mdash; amazing even today but phenomenal when the car was built in 1936. All these years later it still looks better than anything in Chrysler's lineup.</p><img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/Prius_t.jpg'></img>: <p>Toyota's iconic Toyota Prius got a little sleeker for 2010. It's more wedgelike, with underbody panels, sharper corners and a longer spoiler bringing the Cd down to .25. The revisions make the Prius the most aerodynamic production vehicle currently available, and help boost the official EPA fuel economy figure to an average of 50 mpg. It still looks like a jellybean, though.</p>

<img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/alfa_disco_volante_t.jpg' ></img>: <p>The 1952 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante was a concept car built by the famed Italian automaker with help from the coachbuilder Touring. It was meant to be a race car, and though it didn't attain much success, it's still a gorgeous automobile. Disco Volante is Italian for "flying saucer," a suitable name given its shape and sleek Cd of .26.</p> <img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/mercedes_t.jpg'></img>: <p>The Mercedes Benz S-Class cars always look like they're carved from a solid block of metal. They're also remarkably aerodynamic, with a Cd of .27 (for the 2000 to 2006 models, like this S320), proving aerodynamic cars don't have to look like jellybeans.</p><img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/saab_sonett_III_t.jpg'></img>: <p>Never let it be said Swedes can't build sports cars. The 1970 Sonnet III, also known as the 97, was a nimble little &mdash; and we mean <em>little</em> &mdash; car. It wasn't very quick, needing almost 13 seconds to hit 60 mph, but it looked great and had a Cd of just .31. We love it, if only because more cars should have V4 engines.</p><img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/amc_pacer_t.jpg'></img>: <p>Go ahead and laugh. We'll wait. Finished? The AMC Pacer was the laughingstock of Detroit's malaise-era cars, but it was pretty slick in the wind tunnel. It's got a Cd of 0.32, making it more aerodynamic than the Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari F430 and the Aston Martin DB9. Of course, the designers of those cars sacrificed aerodynamic efficiency to minimize lift, a tradeoff you don't have to make with a Pacer.</p>

<img src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2009/02/gallery_aerodynamic/durango_t.jpg'></img>: <p>Yes, it's an SUV. Yes, it's ugly. And, yes, the 2004 Dodge Durango may not be quick, either. But it's pretty slick. With a Cd of 0.39, it slices the wind more efficiently than a Lamborghini Countach or a Dodge Viper. But even scissor doors and V10 engine couldn't make the Durango cool.</p>
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Shopping for Super Cars ... on Craigslist
 

One of the few 650-horsepower Gumpert Apollo sports cars in the U.S. has turned up in the oddest place for the oddest reason.
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When Making Fuel From Wood, Be Sure You Have Wood
 

Michigan's plan to become a big cellulosic ethanol producer could be undone by one small detail.
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