Porsche 645

The Porsche 645 Spyder was a sports-racing car that Porsche planned as the successor to the 550 but dropped in favor of the revised 550A and the 718. Development began in late 1954 under Egon Forstner, with engine designer Ernst Fuhrmann and body designer Heinrich Klie, and aimed at less weight, better aerodynamics and better grip. It was narrower, lower and shorter than the 550, with a magnesium body, a steel tube space frame, a new rear suspension and the 1.5 litre Type 547 four-cam boxer engine making 99 kW. Drivers disliked its handling, and Richard von Frankenberg nicknamed it Mickey Mouse. It raced at Solitude in July 1956, and the only completed car was destroyed in a crash at the AVUS circuit in September that year. Its nose shape influenced the 718.