Oddly Equipped E #270 - 1962 Jaguar XKE / James Raisbeck / Boeing Airflow Sensor

[Otto Puzzell]

Believe it or not, the special equipment was not available from your Jaguar dealer.

For one point: identify the make and model of the car, the name of the gentleman behind the car, and the purpose of the odd fitments on the front of that rakish roadster.  

Only a complete and specific answer will earn a point!  

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[Otto Puzzell]

Up

[D-type]

The car is obviously an E Type Vauxhall 30/98 from 1926 rebodied to look like a Mk 1½ Jaguar (XKE as it's in the USA!).

The name of the gentleman eludes me.  It appears to be a shop window dummy, so is he a policeman?

And the purpose of the odd fitments is to deal with speeding motor cyclists.  The purpose is to hit the back tyre.  If the aim is a bit high, who cares?  Motorcyclists are expendable ( apart from Steve McQueen that is).

In other words, I haven't a clue so please don't lock it for me -  By all means introduce a new category "Locked out of a particular puzzle"

[max]

Couldn't get a replacement handbrake cable at the time, so harpoon adapted to pivot down and anchor said Vauxhall firmly to the road.  Removed prior to sale and anchored to mother-in-law instead.

[Otto Puzzell]

The car is obviously an E Type Vauxhall 30/98 from 1926 rebodied to look like a Mk 1½ Jaguar (XKE as it's in the USA!).

The name of the gentleman eludes me.  It appears to be a shop window dummy, so is he a policeman?

And the purpose of the odd fitments is to deal with speeding motor cyclists.  The purpose is to hit the back tyre.  If the aim is a bit high, who cares?  Motorcyclists are expendable ( apart from Steve McQueen that is).

In other words, I haven't a clue so please don't lock it for me -  By all means introduce a new category "Locked out of a particular puzzle"

No danger of a lock - but that's quite humorous.  :)

[Otto Puzzell]

Couldn't get a replacement handbrake cable at the time, so harpoon adapted to pivot down and anchor said Vauxhall firmly to the road.  Removed prior to sale and anchored to mother-in-law instead.

No danger of a lock - but that's quite humorous.  :)

[D-type]

In all seriousness, is this device somehow related to movie-making?

[Otto Puzzell]

Not at all

[RayTheRat]

An air flow measuring device?

[Otto Puzzell]

An air flow measuring device?

A-ha!

Locked for RtR

[RayTheRat]

The car's a 1962 Jaguar XKE; the gent behind it is James Raisbeck, aerodynamicist and owner of the Jag that was used when Boeing was testing an internally blown trailing edge flap system on the prototype 707, 367-80, known as the "Dash 80" aircraft in 1963. 

In order to test the response characteristics of an alpha/beta airflow sensor in an economical way, Raisbeck offered up his 1962 Jaguar XKE.  After running up and down Boeing Field at speeds to 120 knots in 1963, the recorded data was fed into the computers aboard the DASH 80, when the same instrument was mounted on a nose boom 30 feet in front of the aircraft.

[Otto Puzzell]

Now that's a complete answer.

[RayTheRat]

Thank you sir, and good night.

RtR