Back in mists of time when automobiles first appeared on the roads instead of horses, their keys were basic at best, or more often did not exist at all. Early vehicles were open-topped and just had an ignition switch, as theft was never thought of as an issue then. In fact, potential thieves probably could not drive those cars in the first place, and there were so few around that their presence was obvious and most people knew the ‘real’ driver! Nothing changed much right up until the end of the 20th century. By then, cars mostly were fitted with locks that were similar to those on house doors, though rather less complex.
The revolution involving car keys came a …