Choke lever on dash

Jack's description of the manual choke is quite correct.

I think, tho, that the reason for the choke lever on the dash and the dealer retrofit kit was to accomodate those who didn't trust the new-fangled device. As in "When I get too lazy to [choose one: use the choke/shift my own gears/etc.] I'll take myself to the old age home!"

The Cord did not have a cable from the choke lever in the dash to the carb, but was a dealer-installed aftermarket addtition. The factory service bulletins (available from the ACD Museum) describe how it was installed and operates. It did not replace the electric choke control but supplemented its operation so you could choke the carb manually. It attached to the right (passenger) side of the choke rod. Many cars have had the electric choke and housing removed and the cable attached to the drivers side, but that was not how the factory did it. The problem was the electric element in the original tended to burn up and then no choke, no joke!

As I understand all car came from the factory with auto chokes on the carb. Both supercharged and standard had electric chokes. If so , then how was the choke lever on the dash used and where did it connect?