and that was Burt Rutan's 1975 prototype (N7EZ). He set a world record with it and changed homebuilding forever, but he really didn't like the engine. After the prototype, virtually all were built with some other engine, usually conventional Continental or Lycoming airplane engines. I know of a few powered by converted car engines but not very many.

The follow-on Rutan design was the Long Eze, basically a stretched Varieze with some aerodynamic refinements and able to handle bigger engines. I was checking out an aircraft for sale website (a href=http://barnstormers2000.com/>Barnstormers.com (Experimentals->Varieze) this afternoon and found this entry. Man, talk about tempting!

LONG EZE FOR SALE • AVAILABLE FOR SALE OR TRADE!! .. FRONT .. ENGINE .. PANEL .. LEFT .. Quality built Long Eze for sale or trade. $34K or best offer. 450TT, 325 SMOH on Lycoming 0-235. Engine: Data plate on engine, Good compression on all cylinders, high capacity oil cooler, fresh slick mags, oil pump AD complete, lightweight starter, lightweight alternator, dry battery. Airframe: extended nose, large rudders, larger canard, Electric Nose Lift, wheel pants, faired gear legs, NACA duct for engine cooling, strake windows, dual controls, pitch trim, roll trim, speed brake, 52 gallons of fuel. Full IFR panel with VG, DG, Turn Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Intruments Air Speed computer, Altimeter, CHT, EGT, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, Vacuum gauge, Voltmeter, manifold pressure, tach, Fuel pressure, fuel quantity gauges,NAV/COMM with PTT on both sticks, panel mount intercom, Garmin panel mount GPS, 2nd remote GPS for Anywheremap, transponder. Lighting: post lights for panel, secondary back lighting on all primary instruments, Wheelan strobes, position lights, landing light. This aircraft cruises at 130 KTS TAS on 6 gallons an hour. Willing to trade up for Yak 52, Cozy, Lancair, Glasair or other Fast Glass. Contact Yussie Epstein located Bloomsburg PA 17815. Telephone: (570) 437-9093. -- Posted 26 November 2002