When Chrysler unveiled its winged marvel in the late 1960s, people were scratching their heads. The Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird looked goofy with their long noses and sky-high wings, but then they completely dominated the NASCAR race track. The lesson is simple: aerodynamics matter.
This silver Subaru Impreza wagon won’t dominate the race track. However, with surprisingly simple modifications to the rounded rear of the Subie, the gas station dominates. Okay, a 13.7 percent increase in fuel mileage is not quite right dominate. But with a few cheap base materials and an afternoon to assemble, this aero-minded Impreza owner saves money on fuel. And this is only his first attempt to build a hypermile machine.
Video is from Think Flight A YouTube channel, and as the name suggests, its content focuses on aerodynamics. Faced with record high fuel prices, this individual took his aerospace knowledge and applied it to his daily driver. We’ll leave the technical explanation for the video, but the summary is that cars with big bottoms generally have turbulent air behind them, and that’s bad. That means the car is less prone to slipping in the air, requiring more power to advance. Eliminate turbulence, and you’ll use less power. It uses less fuel, and that brings us to this Subaru that looks like something out of a bad sci-fi movie.
To build the rear of this aero, a 1.5-inch section of foam was cut and glued to the car. Cardboard wheel covers were glued to the wheels, and small vortex generators also made of cardboard were glued to the car at various locations. Everything was done without preparation, with no particular plan other than creating a pointed rear end while keeping the taillights and license plate visible. It’s science, but the construction isn’t what you call it rocket science. Still, it worked.
A basic run before modification saw the Impreza hit 35.6 miles per gallon. Using the same stretch of highway at the same time and filling the tank from the same pump, the increase delivers 40.52 mpg. This is a definite minor difference, and subsequent examination found ways to improve the design. But for minimal effort, it’s not bad at all.
We’ve come across similar mileage-focused designs in the past, so the results aren’t surprising. But we’re interested to see how the aero-Impreza Mk II further improves efficiency.
