Huh? I quite clearly give Bitcoin Core as an example of C++ done right, precisely because it uses a safe subset of the language that is a higher-level language via the abstractions used.
Yes, that "safe" subset of C++ is emulating a simple and restricted reference counting runtime by hand. Certainly doable. Apple is e.g. successful forcing reference counting to application level programmer on iOS, although Objective C gives nice support for that pattern.
Continuing that line of though you could define a "safe" subset of C only using the stack, maybe even functional programming with assembler macros. Runtimes and compiler do no magic therefore talented programmers can emulate any feature of them in any language. It requires skills and it can be fun.
It is not Bitcoin the first program that moves around billions of dollars in value. It is just a new one. Most programs I wrote moved more value than Bitcoin's market capitalization, therefore I know that once you deal with other people's money it gets difficult to argument for not using a help technology offers.