My '72 Rx-2 sedan had a hand choke one needed to pull out, then ease back in at the right pace as the engine started to warm up....If you remember stomping on the gas pedal to set the choke before starting the car.
Same thing with the '74 Rx-4 wagon we had later. On that one I wired in a momentary bypass switch to the "it won't start unless the seat belts are all buckled" system because it also made it a pain to get them on in the first place by locking the retractors.
This is a little bit past the "you were a child" stage — well, mostly.