Cold starting is much better if a low resistance primary winding is used for a hotter spark while the battery voltage is low because of the heavy current draw of the starter. Once the charging system kicks in, a resistor is needed to protect the points from overcurrent. The resistor is bypassed during cranking. The engineers who designed that system didn't just fall off the turnip truck on the way to the big city from the farm!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!