I have a feeling Jim Collins is thinking of something like the old Evel Knievel toy [0], where you put the motorcycle on a platform with a high-resistance crank, you turn the crank, and at some level of RPMs of an internal wheel, the motorcycle shoots forward.
Collins is a few years older than me, believe me the ad made an indelible impression at the time.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-H5g9WEqCc