Lance Reventlow
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Lance Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, (February 24, 1936 – July 24, 1972) was a British-born American entrepreneur,
racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
and heir to the Woolworth fortune. Reventlow was the only child of heiress Barbara Hutton and her second husband, Count Kurt von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow. His stepfathers included actor
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...
and Prince Igor Troubetzkoy.


Early years

Lance Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow was the only child of Danish nobleman of German descent Count Kurt von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow and American socialite Barbara Hutton. Hutton had inherited the Woolworth department store fortune and was then one of the wealthiest women in the world. Reventlow was born at Winfield House in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, restored by his mother and named for her grandfather Frank Winfield Woolworth. Reventlow's birth was difficult and his mother almost died during his delivery. As a child, he struggled with respiratory problems and was
asthmatic Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheez ...
. Reventlow's parents' marriage, Hutton's second of seven, was tumultuous and did not last; after the couple divorced in 1938, Reventlow became the subject of a bitter custody battle. In 1944, Reventlow's father was awarded custody until he reached school age, after which his mother would gain custody. Before his father was to relinquish custody, he sent Reventlow to Canada. Hutton regained custody of Reventlow in 1945. Reventlow was largely estranged from his father until the Count's death in 1969.


Racing career

In 1948, at age 12, Reventlow was introduced to the world of
Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and ...
when his mother married Prince Igor Troubetzkoy, who won the
Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo, Sicily, Palermo. Founded in 1906 Targa Florio, 1906, it was the oldest sports car ra ...
that year. In his teenage years, Reventlow's money afforded him the latest in exotic cars, which led to his involvement in motor racing. In
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
, Reventlow became friends with fellow auto enthusiast
James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...
and competed in club events around California. On September 30, 1955, he and Bruce Kessler were some of the last people to speak to Dean when they met on their way to an auto race in
Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Salt pan (geology), Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Monterey County, California, Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is ...
. Reventlow said he had coffee with Dean at a restaurant approximately thirty minutes before Dean was killed in an automobile accident near Cholame, California, while driving his Porsche 550 Spyder.


Professional career

Reventlow began his racing career in America in the mid-1950s, initially with a Mercedes before moving to an 1100cc Cooper in 1956. The next year he went to Europe to buy a
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
, which he crashed heavily at
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, escaping unhurt. He also briefly drove a Cooper
Formula 2 Formula Two (F2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 to 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name returned aga ...
car, before returning to the United States. He then set up his own company in
Venice, California Venice is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, whe ...
, to construct
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-powered race cars he named Scarab with Phil Remington as chief engineer. Along with hired driver Chuck Daigh, the two were initially successful in racing. They won the majority of major sportscar events they entered, often in competition with the Cunningham team of Lister Jaguars. Reventlow had looked at buying a Lister Jaguar, but thought that he could build a better car. Daigh drove a Scarab to victory in the 1958 Riverside International Grand Prix in California, beating a field of international race car teams, including driver Phil Hill and the Ferrari Team. Carroll Shelby drove a Scarab to first place at Continental Divide Raceways in Castle Rock in
Douglas County, Colorado Douglas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 357,978. The county is named in honor of U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas. The county seat is Castle Rock. Douglas County is pa ...
, where he broke a course record. His racing team was much talked about for having built the first
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
race car in America. Shifting operations overseas to
Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
, Reventlow's team had little success racing the Scarab cars in Formula One against the new rear-engine race cars. He went back to the drawing board and built a competitive prototype Scarab rear-engined car, but had become less interested in racing before its testing was complete. In 1962, he shut down the operation, leased the California facilities to Shelby, and quit auto racing altogether. Reventlow's organization constructed a total of eight Scarabs during its existence. In a 1971 interview, Reventlow confirmed that three front-engined Chevy-powered sports cars, three front-engined formula cars, one rear-engined formula car and one rear-engined sports car were built. Two of the front-engined formula cars were powered by Reventlow-commissioned engines drawn up by American racing engine designer Leo Goossen to Reventlow's specifications, while the third car was powered by a Goossen-designed and engineered Offenhauser engine. The rear-engined formula was powered by a modified
Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...
powerplant; this engine and the suspension/brake package were taken from this car and used on the rear-engined sports car, the last Scarab built.


Personal life

At the age of 21, Reventlow was given the choice between becoming an American, Danish or British citizen. He chose American citizenship, saying, "I thought it over for a full 20 seconds." On March 24, 1960, Reventlow married actress Jill St. John at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. They separated in October 1962. St. John filed for divorce on October 2, 1963, citing extreme cruelty; she stated that Reventlow called her "stupid and incompetent" in front of others and bullied her into taking part in dangerous sports. Their divorce was granted on October 30, 1963. While estranged from St. John, Reventlow dated actress
Sherry Jackson Sherry D. Jackson (born February 15, 1942) is an American retired Actor, actress and former child star. Early life Jackson was born on February 15, 1942, in Wendell, Idaho. Her mother, Maurita, provided drama, singing, and dancing lessons for S ...
. On November 6, 1964, Reventlow married ex- Mouseketeer Cheryl Holdridge in a lavish ceremony in Hollywood before 600 guests. Reventlow's mother, Barbara Hutton, could not attend the wedding because of illness but gave the couple a $500,000, five-bedroom home set on 21 acres in Benedict Canyon.


Death

In 1972, Reventlow was seeking real-estate developers as partners to build a ski resort in
Aspen, Colorado Aspen is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population ...
, where he had a home. He was an experienced pilot, with thousands of hours, rated fully for IFR on multi-engine planes, but on July 24, 1972, Reventlow was a passenger, scouting locations for real estate in a hired single-engine Cessna 206. The pilot was an inexperienced 27-year-old student with only 39 hours' flying time who flew into a blind canyon during a thunderstorm and stalled the aircraft while trying to turn around. The plane plunged to the ground, killing all four aboard. Reventlow was initially buried, but his remains were later exhumed and cremated. His ashes are interred in the Woolworth mausoleum at the Woodlawn Cemetery in
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
.


Racing career results


Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) † At the 1960 British Grand Prix, Reventlow drove the Cooper in practice only. The car was driven in the race by Chuck Daigh.


References


External links


Lance Reventlow
at sportsillustrated.cnn.com *
Two Scarabs – America's first F1 cars – up for auction
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reventlow, Lance 1936 births 1972 deaths American Formula One drivers American people of Danish descent Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States British people of Danish descent British people of German descent Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Cooper Formula One drivers Counts of Denmark 20th-century Danish nobility Danish racing drivers Danish people of German descent Formula One team owners
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Hutton family
Lance The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...
Scarab Formula One drivers Racing drivers from London Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1972 Woolworth family Racing drivers from Colorado 20th-century English sportsmen