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The Rumpler Tropfenwagen was the first car to use a swing rear axle. That was in 1921, which was pretty good going for what was effectively an independent suspension set-up.
The Mercedes 300SL ‘Gullwing' is better known than the Rumpler - as are most things, to be fair - a lot faster, and also has a swing rear axle. Anyone who's ever driven one quickly on an undulating road will, once they've had a long sit down and a stiff drink, tell you that high speeds and sudden camber changes can make the Gullwing officially ‘interesting'. Even Stirling Moss admitted as much to me once, and he knew what he was doing.
Written By:- Jason Barlow
More of this article on the Top gear website