Porsche owners love to brag how their cars’ odd ignition placement can be traced to the brand’s racing tradition. The story is baloney, as Dan Neil discovered.

At least that’s the theory proposed by McSwain Engineering Inc., a Pensacola, Fla.-based failure analytics firm that took a scientist’s eye view and an X-ray machine to the ignition switch ...

In 1949, Chrysler introduces the modern key that starts the car with a turn of the ignition tumbler. 1965 Ford: Ford brings out its double-sided key still used today in many modern cars.