I think you guys are contemplating your navel a bit much when it comes to this stuff. If I think about it long enough and hard enough, I can make an excellent case that I look a hell of lot like the 1968 version of Elvis Presley.
Fuel economy? Who really cares? These cars are driven a fraction of the miles of a modern vehicle. It's tiresome....the idea that we can have it all if we just come up with the exact mix of parts. Spending $40,000 on a play-car then sweating $13 in gas? Life's too short.
You get lousy (whatever that is?) mileage because of 4 degrees of LSA? Ummmm. I'd be far more inclined to look at A/F ratio, ignition timing, combustion chamber design, cam duration/lift, and the overall inefficiencies of a vehicle that has had its ports enlarged, induction enlarged, and just about every other 'OEM fuel economy' consideration cast aside.
As for not using a hydraulic roller cam for fuel economy....that's one of the main reasons pretty much every OEM since the 1990's has provided a hyd roller cam.