Completely off topic to the thread, but you just reminded me of a time I snuck onto a movie set and got to actually do that. I posed as a driver for the car company and got to start/drive one of those bad boys with the hand crank. Inside was all switches too which was wild. The most uncomfortable ride of my life.
I remember time before time existed, on cold winter mornings we'd gather around in front of our Model T and turned that crank just below the grill.
Back then we also had to crank-watch television in black and white, uphill, backwards both ways, during snowstorms... just to get to bed.