Wildstang's 2007 robot comes to mind (3rd joint pivoted along arm's axis, allowing them to reach to the side). If you do this, you should also devise a way to control such an arm reliably, there is no point in having a fancy arm if the driver can't use it effectively.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/27788
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/27192