When there were still separate steering and ignition locks
The ignition key is dying out. More and more drivers are leaving the "key" in the bag, the door opens without turning the key and the car is started by pressing a button. We are actually back to where we started, because at the beginning of motorization you didn't need a key any more than you do today.
In the meantime, however, the car industry realized that access to the car had to be protected to make it more difficult for thieves to steal an unattended car. So ignition locks began to be installed and the electrics only unlocked for those who had the right key.
Then, in the 1950s, the steering wheel lock appeared, preventing the steering wheel from being turned. Combining the two locks, i.e. ignition and steering wheel lock, required further innovations, as the ignition lock was normally located on the dashboard and the steering wheel lock on the steering column. In addition, the steering wheel lock was not always standard equipment, but had to be purchased separately. This was also the case in the Opel Rekord P2, at least in the two-door version.
And so it was that many years later, an inexperienced motorist tried to start the Opel with the steering wheel lock, which of course did not comply with his request. Only a second glance revealed the additional ignition lock under the radio and the Opel four-cylinder naturally started immediately.
