Why did cars have a “crank”? What was the purpose?

Published October 23, 2010

Question by A57Moon- speechless in SandyEggo: Why did cars have a “crank”? What was the purpose?
I admit, I never understood what it actually cranked. Certainly wasn’t a rubber band winding up…

Best answer:

Answer by Pen Guin
Instead of having a battery and a starter, they were hand cranked. My uncle had a Ford A model and I broke my arm by not letting go of it soon enough.

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