Messerschmitt ME-246
In the aftermath of the Me-210's disappointing flight performance in the field, another attempt was made to design a replacement for the Me-110 "Zerstorer" ( rendered obsolete as a fighter-destroyer during the Battle of Britain ). The result was the Me-246 "Duellist", of which only 1 prototype was ever built. The new design differed from the original Me-110 in that it was a single seater and lacked the rear gunner position. The idea was to gain a further speed and maneuverability advantage over the Me-110 and Me-210 by eliminating the extra weight of the gunner position, rear armament, and extra long canopy and cockpit structures. The Me-246 featured a more streamlined fuselage and canopy than it's 2 predecessors. These changes gave the Me-246 performance that was on par with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Sadly, due to a political scandal that erupted within the higher ranks of Luftwaffe, the project was canceled. Work on the Me-410 "Hornisse" was undertaken during this time, and as such there is no mention of the Me-246 in the history books, to back up this tall tale:)
