1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen

In 1921, Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler unveiled the innovative Rumpler Tropfenwagen at the Berlin car show, marking a pioneering venture into automotive aerodynamics. Prior to this, Rumpler had primarily focused on aircraft design. This groundbreaking vehicle boasted a distinctive teardrop shape and was the first mass-produced car to incorporate curved glass, setting a precedent for aerodynamic efficiency with an impressive drag coefficient of just 0.28—a benchmark that remained competitive even a century later. Powered by a 2.6-liter W6 engine featuring three banks of two cylinders, the Tropfenwagen generated 36 horsepower yet managed to reach speeds of up to 70 mph, a remarkable feat for its time. Despite its technological advancements, sales were sluggish, prompting some to repurpose the vehicles as taxis due to its unique central driver position and seating arrangement for four passengers. Production ceased a century ago in 1924, with only around 100 units ever manufactured, and today, only two examples are known to exist.