The first cars lacked some of today’s modern conveniences, including electric starters. It wasn’t until 1912, when Charles F. Kettering invented one for Cadillac, that there was even an option besides manual starting. However, rather than becoming a footnote in early automotive history, the hand crank persisted on some vehicle models until the late 1990s.
Hand cranks haven’t been the primary way to start cars since the 1930s, so why did they persist? The crank served as a backup for the electric starter. For example, the Russian Lada Niva, a rugged SUV, didn’t have the best track record for reliability, so the hand-crank option persisted well into the 1990s. (This wasn’t the only unusual model to come from that part of the world; Soviet Russia produced an off-road sedan long before AMC or Subaru.) YouTuber Gogmorgoaway uploaded a video showing the process of manually starting his 1996 Lada Niva.
Car enthusiast bearmtnmartin further remembered Classic motorsport: “[There was a] 1997 Lada Niva, bought by a forestry company I worked for. It came with a hand crank, so we all had fun with it.” But the car “was gone six months later because the parts weren’t obtanium and it was already starting to fall apart.”
Hemmings says the opening in the front bumper where the hand crank inserts was not visible in the Lada Nivas until 1998, although its appearance does not automatically mean the engine supported a hand crank. Today, as the Lada Niva approaches fifty years of production, it no longer has a hand crank, but still offers a wonderfully strange mix of stylings, with the interior of a new Lada being one of the weirdest things you’ll see all day.
The long-running Citroën 2CV also famously retained its hand crank option
Unlike the Lada Niva with its electronics of questionable quality, the Citroën 2CV was designed to be simple, reliable and minimalist. The hand crank was an example of its practical construction, allowing drivers to get moving if the battery or starter failed.
However, in terms of power and speed, it wouldn’t get anyone excited. The 1990 model had a two-cylinder engine with an output of only 29 hp. Press the accelerator from a standstill and you can reach 100 km/h in 35 seconds. Yet there may be more life in the old nameplate: the Citroën 2CV is the latest retro icon to get an EV rebirth.
They may look nice, but hand cranks weren’t always easy to use
Getting an engine running by hand required two things: power and the right technique. Not only would you get an arm workout, but there was always the dreaded possibility of a backfire. For example, on Ford’s Model T, it was recommended to use your left arm to start because it was less likely to break if the crank arm rotated back.
An adverse effect would cause the metal pendulum to suddenly jerk counterclockwise. Many suffered injuries to their hands, or worse, if the recommended grip was not used. Fortunately, in the case of the Lada Niva, the ’97 model was equipped with a 1.7-liter engine, smaller than that of the Model T, making it potentially easier to start manually.
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