Well Tim, I never thought I'd recommend it to someone, but the Kitfox
closely fits your bill. They are up and running again under new
management. The new owners are, by all accounts, as honest and good to
deal with as the old company was not. Disclaimer: I personally have no
dealings with the new company, but I have about three thousand reasons
to be bitter about the old, defunct company.

For cockpit space inside, I am 5'11" with tall sitting height. I had
enough headroom on the demo ride while I had the pedals pulled as close
to me as possible. The pedal setting is partly my preference, partly
anthropometrics (that means I sit tall but have short legs for my height).

It might be tough to build any two seater with an O-235 to 700 lbs, 750
and up is probably be more realistic (for a Kitfox). The usual advice
right? Keep it light- VFR panel, wood prop, medium fabric, don't get
Dr. Seuss sized main wheels, forget the severe duty police and taxi
alternator...

Your cruise requirement is attainable (in an O-235 Kitfox) I think.
Different builders' have tried different solutions to aerodynamic
fairings (wing struts for example). These always increase cruise speed,
some solutions increase weight a little, some increase weight a lot.

Oh, they use aluminum spars and wood ribs (you said wood/wood). I found
my spars surprisingly easy to prime on the inside and out. Messy, but easy.

This is like medical advice, ask for a second opinion!