Radials tend to be technology 60 years old and more.
What you are maybe overlooking is that at that time and before, almost ALL reciprocating engines were hard to start. On road vehicles the first diesels were such a nightmare that truck and bus operators (the early advocates of them) would tend to leave them running all night if they could. Early railway diesel locomotives were likewise.
I you've ever tried to start a petrol lawnmower after winter storage, or to get an old car going with a crank handle, you'll regard radials as a cinch to start !