Embodiments of the invention provide a starter that includes a motor with an armature that is coupled to a pinion. In some embodiments, the starter can include a main field coil that can be configured and arranged to produce a main magnetic field flux. Some embodiments include at least one auxiliary flux assembly arranged in close proximity with the main field coil and electrically disconnected from it. In some embodiments, a control system can operatively power the main field coil to produce a magnetic field flux. In some embodiments, the at least one auxiliary flux assembly can provide a supplementary field flux adding to the main magnetic field flux that interacts with the armature.