The hand crank was not an unmixed blessing.
The engine has to be tuned correctly for this method to work. In the very old automobiles, there was a manual spark adjustment, a hand-controlled throttle, and an external choke access. If the spark was too far advanced, for example, the cylinder would fire before top dead center, causing a nasty kick-back on the crank, and if the person was trying to start the engine by “spinning” the crank, with both hands on the end of the crank, it was a guaranteed broken shoulder or wrist. The ends of the bones of the forearm would break just above the wrist, the “Model T wrist”. The proper technique was to wrap the fingers only over the end of the crank, squatting on the left side braced against the front fender, and PULLING the crank over the top. That way, if the engine does fire prematurely, the crank is snatched out of the curled fingers, and doesn’t take the rest of you with it.
But the system would work at below-freezing temperatures.
Easier was parking at the top of a slope, nudging the vehicle forward, with the clutch depressed, then popping the clutch quickly to turn the engine over, then disengaging it just as quickly to make sure the motor is running smoothly, then you can simply drive away.
But apparently you can’t do that any more.
crap, imagine below freezing temps AND broken arms from a damn hand crank.
I remember the throttles. Flooding many of engines.