Stupid MiBand!

GDB2222

When I was a child, all cars came with a crank handle, even the ones that had an electric starter. 

k_man

Did all cars have both crank and electric starter?

Or did some, e.g the cheap ones, only have one method, e.g. crank?

GDB2222

This was when I was quite small, 1950s, and by then they all had electric starters. I guess that the crank handles were pretty superfluous, and just a hang over from earlier years. I did see people hand starting the engine this way, probably because of a flat battery. It was also useful for servicing - adjusting the tappets. 

Something like an Austin A40 had a 1.2 litre engine producing around 40hp, so it would be an awful lot easier to turn it over by hand than a modern high compression engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_A40_Devon

If you look at the pictures you can see the hole in the front bumper for the crank to be inserted.

k_man

Thanks for the detailed reply, and apologies, as I was being flippant.
Pointing out that some cheaper cars may not have had both start options, a bit like the MiBand not having both manual and based time adjustment.

GDB2222

Not to worry. I was quite surprised by the question but thought it rude not to reply.