While 250 horsepower might not seem like much by today’s standards, it’s more than enough to power a car weighing just 1,900 pounds. With narrow, 165-section, treaded tires at the rear, it doesn’t take a whole lot to unstick them—especially with gentle drizzle and a live rear axle. When the estimated cost of the 1955 Jaguar D-Type seen here is in the tens of millions, one must wonder what goes through a driver’s head before they set off on a quick lap in one.

Fortunately, we have a little insight that might be relevant here, and a world-class chauffer to give us a guided tour of Goodwood. Win Percy won the BTCC Championship three times in Mazda RX-7s and Toyota Corollas, and raced about everything else under the sun. At the time of filming, Percy was 59, and with nearly four decades of experience before him, his consummate knowledge helps him put on a masterclass.

Approaching the Start with his Head

Fully aware of the cost of the car beneath him, he approaches the formation lap carefully and analytically. He assesses the amount of grip on the circuit, spies for oil and debris, and begins warming the tires methodically. Hard braking warms the front discs, which warm the wheels and then the front tires, and with a quick burnout prior to formation on the grid, he gives the rears enough temperature to assure a decent jump off the line.

A Fabulous First Lap

With a good start in his pocket, Percy drives cleanly and not too aggressively in the first lap, knowing full-well the tires aren’t quite up to temperature. Here, he’s focusing on making sure every shift of the four-speed ‘box is clean and quick, since rival Tony Dron is on his heels and can nip by with a little mistake.

Nevertheless, Percy keeps calm, and focuses on taking as tight a line as possible without making the front run wide. By hooking his inside wheels over certain curbs and flooring the throttle early, Percy steers the Jaguar at the rear; sashaying at daunting speed with superlative car control.

After a lap, the tires are working at their best and Percy’s steering becomes slightly calmer—but only just. Now, he can tuck the nose in neatly and exit the corner with just a few dabs of opposite lock. However, that luxury quickly fades, and by Lap 4 he’s driving the classic Jaguar like a rally car on dirt.

With the rears wearing off quickly, Percy focuses on staying neat, tidy, and avoiding mistakes. His braking points get moved back a few inches every lap, and he has to wait that little bit longer before he can mat the throttle to keep the rears from spinning wildly. It’s a natural, organic process, though; he’s maintaining a constant, comforting dialogue with the Jag and the tires underneath him, and just extending the margin as the grip fades.

Though he’s eked out a gap from Dron, he’s fully aware that Dron and his Ferrari Dino will make a late-race charge since they tend to be a little better on tires in the long run. Therefore, Percy can’t afford to relax, and does what he can to keep his rolling speed up without driving erratically and ruining the cushion he worked so hard to earn.

Managing Traffic and Keeping Calm

That cushion comes in handy when coming upon a gaggle of slower cars on Lap 7. Percy needs to be decisive and make a move quickly when finding a way around, and uses his headlights to alert the slower traffic. Or so Percy thought—the headlight switch turned out not to be working that day, as Percy finds out the hard way…