re: Rocket concept of the past
That is indeed Phil Bono's ROMBUS vehicle. Bono came up with the innovative combination of aerospike and heat shield for SSTO. His concepts were the acknowledged inspiration for Gary C. Hudson's Phoenix designs, and I am very familiar with Bono's work.
Other vehicles included the Hyperion, and Pegasus, and SASSTO.
I have a copy of the book "Frontiers of Space" by Bono and Kenneth Gatland, which describes these vehicles and much more. Out of print, now, but can be found at used book outlets online.