The thing was insanely hard to start. But I had a knack of doing it that no one else could duplicate. Something to do with a precisely measured pump of the gas pedal, precisely timed with the ignition. But I had no conscious understanding of how to duplicate it. [other subtle cues were built into the routine that made it all work - closing the car door, and putting the key in the ignition, etc.]

On the occasions when it failed, if I continued to try it, I did not know how to do it, and I would just grind the battery down. But if I got out and performed the ritual again, it would start.

More of an operator issue that an automotive one.