Lance Reventlow
Encyclopedia
Lance Reventlow, born Lawrence Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow (February 24, 1936 – July 24, 1972) was a wealthy playboy, entrepreneur, and racing driver.
Reventlow was the only child of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton
and her second husband Count Court von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow and also the stepson of actor Cary Grant
and Prince Igor Troubetzkoy
.
nobleman Count Court von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow and American
socialite Barbara Hutton
, who almost died giving birth to him. He was born at Winfield House
in London
, restored by his mother and named for her grandfather Frank Winfield Woolworth. His parents' marriage was a tumultuous one, filled with his father's emotional and physical abuse of him and his mother, and his mother's growing alcohol and drug addiction. She had inherited the Woolworth department store fortune and was then one of the wealthiest women in the world. The marriage, Barbara Hutton's second of seven, did not last and the child became the subject of a bitter custody battle.
Left to be raised by nannies and boarding schools, Lance Reventlow was six years old when his mother married actor Cary Grant
, who took the already troubled boy under his wing. Reventlow's mother and Grant divorced on July 11, 1945, and two days later the then-nine-year-old was abducted by his biological father and taken to Canada
, but later returned. Grant remained close to Reventlow, who spent a great deal of time in the Los Angeles
area.
when his mother married Prince Igor Troubetzkoy
who won the Targa Florio
that year. As a teenager, Reventlow's money afforded him the latest in exotic cars that led to his involvement in motor racing.
In Hollywood, Reventlow became close friends with fellow auto enthusiast James Dean
and competed in club events around California. On September 30, 1955, Lance Reventlow was one of the last people to speak to Dean when they met on their way to an auto race in Salinas, California
. Dean was killed a few hours later in his racing Porsche 550 Spyder.
Formula 2 cars. He then returned to the United States and set up his own company in Venice, California, to construct Chevrolet
-powered race cars he named Scarab
. 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. Daigh drove a Scarab to victory in the 1958 Riverside International Grand Prix in California beating a field of international race car teams, including the world famous race car driver Phil Hill
and the Ferrari Team. Carroll Shelby
drove a Scarab to first place at Continental Divide Raceways in Castle Rock, Colorado
, breaking a course record.
. The glamorous couple were the focus of much media attention and his racing team was much talked about for having built the first Formula One
race car in America. Shifting operations overseas to Britain, Reventlow's team raced the Scarab cars in Formula One
with little success against the new rear-engine race cars. Lance went back to the drawing board and built a very 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 Carroll 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
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.
Reventlow's marriage to Jill St. John ended in divorce in 1963. In 1964, he married ex-Mouseketeer
Cheryl Holdridge
, introduced to him by close friend, singer Jimmy Boyd
. The couple mostly remained out of the glare of publicity for several years. An avid Alpine skier
, hiker, sailor and pilot, Reventlow maintained a home in Aspen, Colorado
. It was there in 1972 while looking at an area to build a ski resort with real estate brokers, that, according to the NTSB report, Reventlow was a passenger in a Cessna 206. Unknown to Reventlow (who was a fully rated instrument, multi-engine, commercial pilot with thousands of hours), the Cessna pilot was an inexperienced 27-year-old student pilot who flew into a blind canyon and stalled the aircraft while trying to turn around. The small plane plunged to the ground, killing Lance Reventlow and the others aboard.
Cary Grant
took some of Lance's closest friends along with him in his plane to Aspen for Reventlow's memorial service, given by his widow Cheryl.
His widow later married Manning J. Post, a major figure in the Democratic Party in California.
Reventlow was the only child of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton
Barbara Hutton
Barbara Woolworth Hutton was an American socialite dubbed by the media as the "Poor Little Rich Girl" because of her troubled life...
and her second husband Count Court von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow and also the stepson of actor Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
and Prince Igor Troubetzkoy
Igor Troubetzkoy
Prince Igor Nikolayevich Troubetzkoy was the driver of the first Ferrari to ever compete in Grand Prix Motor Racing. He drove a 2-litre Ferrari "Tipo" 166 in Monaco on May 16, 1948. Earlier that year he had won the Targa Florio with the Ferrari 166 Sport Allemano Spyder...
.
Biography
Lance von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow was the only child of DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
nobleman Count Court von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
socialite Barbara Hutton
Barbara Hutton
Barbara Woolworth Hutton was an American socialite dubbed by the media as the "Poor Little Rich Girl" because of her troubled life...
, who almost died giving birth to him. He was born at Winfield House
Winfield House
Winfield House is a mansion set in 12 acres of grounds in Regent's Park, London, England - the largest private garden in or close to central London after that of Buckingham Palace...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, restored by his mother and named for her grandfather Frank Winfield Woolworth. His parents' marriage was a tumultuous one, filled with his father's emotional and physical abuse of him and his mother, and his mother's growing alcohol and drug addiction. She had inherited the Woolworth department store fortune and was then one of the wealthiest women in the world. The marriage, Barbara Hutton's second of seven, did not last and the child became the subject of a bitter custody battle.
Left to be raised by nannies and boarding schools, Lance Reventlow was six years old when his mother married actor Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, who took the already troubled boy under his wing. Reventlow's mother and Grant divorced on July 11, 1945, and two days later the then-nine-year-old was abducted by his biological father and taken to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, but later returned. Grant remained close to Reventlow, who spent a great deal of time in the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area.
Beginnings
In 1948, at age 12, Reventlow was introduced to the world of Grand Prix motor racingGrand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
when his mother married Prince Igor Troubetzkoy
Igor Troubetzkoy
Prince Igor Nikolayevich Troubetzkoy was the driver of the first Ferrari to ever compete in Grand Prix Motor Racing. He drove a 2-litre Ferrari "Tipo" 166 in Monaco on May 16, 1948. Earlier that year he had won the Targa Florio with the Ferrari 166 Sport Allemano Spyder...
who won the Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
that year. As a teenager, Reventlow's money afforded him the latest in exotic cars that led to his involvement in motor racing.
In Hollywood, Reventlow became close friends with fellow auto enthusiast James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
and competed in club events around California. On September 30, 1955, Lance Reventlow was one of the last people to speak to Dean when they met on their way to an auto race in Salinas, California
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
. Dean was killed a few hours later in his racing Porsche 550 Spyder.
Professional career
Reventlow eventually decided to go to Europe to race cars and spent a season driving CooperCooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
Formula 2 cars. He then returned to the United States and set up his own company in Venice, California, to construct Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
-powered race cars he named Scarab
Scarab (constructor)
Scarab was an all-American open-wheel race car and sports car constructor from the USA featuring cars designed and built by Tom Barnes and Dick Troutman for Reventlow Automobiles Inc, owned by Lance Reventlow...
. Along with hired driver Chuck Daigh
Chuck Daigh
Chuck Daigh was an American racing car driver. He broke into Grand Prix racing through Lance Reventlow's Scarab team, through the virtue of being one of the resident engineers. Born in Long Beach, California, he participated in six World Championship Formula One races, debuting on May 29, 1960 and...
, 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. Daigh drove a Scarab to victory in the 1958 Riverside International Grand Prix in California beating a field of international race car teams, including the world famous race car driver Phil Hill
Phil Hill
Philip Toll Hill, Jr., was a United States automobile racer and the only American-born driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Hill was described as a "thoughtful, gentle man" and once said, "I'm in the wrong business. I don't want to beat anybody, I don't want to be the big hero...
and the Ferrari Team. Carroll Shelby
Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby is an American retired automotive designer and racing driver. He is most well known for making Mustangs for Ford Motor Company known as Mustang Cobras which he has done since 1965...
drove a Scarab to first place at Continental Divide Raceways in Castle Rock, Colorado
Castle Rock, Colorado
The Town of Castle Rock is the county seat of Douglas County, Colorado, United States and is named for the prominent castle tower-shaped butte near the center of town. It is part of Colorado's Front Range Urban Corridor and is located roughly 28 miles south of Denver and 37 miles north of...
, breaking a course record.
Personal life
In 1959, Lance Reventlow visited the mother he barely knew at her new mansion in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She had just divorced her sixth husband. Reventlow confronted her over his upbringing, and after a heated argument, the two parted company. Already reluctantly in the media spotlight because of his mother and the family wealth, shortly after the confrontation with his mother, Reventlow married actress Jill St. JohnJill St. John
Jill St. John is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Tiffany Case, the lead Bond girl in Diamonds Are Forever.-Early life:...
. The glamorous couple were the focus of much media attention and his racing team was much talked about for having built the first Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
race car in America. Shifting operations overseas to Britain, Reventlow's team raced the Scarab cars in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
with little success against the new rear-engine race cars. Lance went back to the drawing board and built a very 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 Carroll Shelby
Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby is an American retired automotive designer and racing driver. He is most well known for making Mustangs for Ford Motor Company known as Mustang Cobras which he has done since 1965...
, 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
Offenhauser
Offenhauser was an American racing engine manufacturer that operated from 1933 to 1983.The Offenhauser engine, familiarly known as the "Offy", was developed by Fred Offenhauser and his employer Harry Arminius Miller, after maintaining and repairing a 1913 Peugeot Grand Prix car of the type which...
engine. The rear-engined formula was powered by a modified Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
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.
Reventlow's marriage to Jill St. John ended in divorce in 1963. In 1964, he married ex-Mouseketeer
Mickey Mouse Club
The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
Cheryl Holdridge
Cheryl Holdridge
Cheryl Holdridge was an American actress, best known as a cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club.-Early life:Holdridge was born Cheryl Lynn Phelps in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother, Julie A...
, introduced to him by close friend, singer Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Boyd was an American singer, musician, and actor. He was best known for his recording of the novelty song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".-Early years:...
. The couple mostly remained out of the glare of publicity for several years. An avid Alpine skier
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
, hiker, sailor and pilot, Reventlow maintained a home in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
. It was there in 1972 while looking at an area to build a ski resort with real estate brokers, that, according to the NTSB report, Reventlow was a passenger in a Cessna 206. Unknown to Reventlow (who was a fully rated instrument, multi-engine, commercial pilot with thousands of hours), the Cessna pilot was an inexperienced 27-year-old student pilot who flew into a blind canyon and stalled the aircraft while trying to turn around. The small plane plunged to the ground, killing Lance Reventlow and the others aboard.
Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
took some of Lance's closest friends along with him in his plane to Aspen for Reventlow's memorial service, given by his widow Cheryl.
His widow later married Manning J. Post, a major figure in the Democratic Party in California.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 1960 Formula One season The 1960 Formula One season featured the eleventh FIA World Championship of Drivers, the third International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and numerous non-championship Formula One races... |
Reventlow Automobiles Inc. | Scarab Scarab (constructor) Scarab was an all-American open-wheel race car and sports car constructor from the USA featuring cars designed and built by Tom Barnes and Dick Troutman for Reventlow Automobiles Inc, owned by Lance Reventlow... |
Scarab Scarab (constructor) Scarab was an all-American open-wheel race car and sports car constructor from the USA featuring cars designed and built by Tom Barnes and Dick Troutman for Reventlow Automobiles Inc, owned by Lance Reventlow... Straight-4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1960 Argentine Grand Prix The 1960 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Buenos Aires on February 7, 1960.- Classification :* Trintignant and Moss received no points for the shared drive-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
MON 1960 Monaco Grand Prix The 1960 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 29, 1960.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Stirling Moss - 1:36.3*Fastest Lap: Bruce McLaren - 1:36.2*First win for a Lotus in a World Championship Formula One race... DNQ |
500 1960 Indianapolis 500 The 1960 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1960. The event was part of the 1960 World Drivers' Championship; the last Indianapolis 500 to be included in the Championship.- Classification :... |
NED 1960 Dutch Grand Prix The 1960 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on June 6, 1960.Due to a crash by Dan Gurney, a spectator, who was in a prohibited area, was killed during this event.- Classification :- Notes :... DNS |
BEL 1960 Belgian Grand Prix The 1960 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 19 June 1960. It is remembered as one of Formula One's darkest days due to the deaths of Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey and the serious accidents of Stirling Moss and Mike Taylor.The results highlight an unusual... Ret |
FRA 1960 French Grand Prix The 1960 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 3, 1960.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
NC | 0 | ||||
| Cooper Car Company Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946... |
Cooper Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946... T51 Cooper T51 The Cooper T51 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1959 Formula One season. The T51 earned a significant place in motor racing history when Jack Brabham drove the car to become the first driver to win the championship with a rear-engined... |
Climax Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H... Straight-4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
GBR 1960 British Grand Prix The 1960 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire, England, on 16 July 1960. The race was the seventh round of the 1960 Formula One season, the final Formula One season run to the 2.5 litre maximum engine displacement rules which had been in... WD |
POR 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuito da Boavista, Oporto on August 14, 1960.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: John Surtees - 2:25.56*Fastest Lap: John Surtees - 2:27.53... |
ITA 1960 Italian Grand Prix The 1960 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 4, 1960. The race was won by American driver Phil Hill driving a Ferrari 246 F1.-Race Summary :... |
USA 1960 United States Grand Prix The 1960 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on November 20, 1960 at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |