View source for Lance Reventlow

{{short description|American racing driver and entrepreneur (1936–1972)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name                      = Lance Reventlow
| image                     = Lance Reventlow wedding portrait, Calif., 1964 (cropped).jpg
| caption                   = Lance Reventlow's wedding photo (1964)
| birth_name                = Lance George William Detlev Graf Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow
| birth_date                = {{birth date|df=yes|1936|2|24}}
| birth_place               = [[London]], England
| death_date                = {{death date and age|df=yes|1972|7|24|1936|2|24}}
| death_place               = [[Aspen, Colorado]], U.S.
| resting_place             = [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx)|Woodlawn Cemetery]]
| occupation                = [[Racing driver]], entrepreneur
| years_active              = 1959–1972
| spouse                    = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Jill St. John]]|1960|1963|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Cheryl Holdridge]]|1964}}
}}
| parents                   = Count Kurt von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow<br />[[Barbara Hutton]]
| relatives          = {{Ubl
  | [[Frank Winfield Woolworth]] (maternal great-grandfather)
  | [[Charles Sumner Woolworth|Charles S. Woolworth]] (maternal great-granduncle)
  | [[Edward Francis Hutton]] (paternal granduncle)
  | [[Dina Merrill]] (paternal first cousin once removed)
  }}
}}

''' Lance Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow''',<ref name=lancegeneall>{{cite web |title=Lance, Count Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow |url=http://geneall.net/en/name/439588/lance-count-haugwitz-hardenberg-reventlow/ |work=geneall.net |date=4 December 2016}}</ref> (24 February 1936 – 24 July 1972) was a British-born American entrepreneur, [[racing driver]] and heir to the [[F. W. Woolworth Company|Woolworth]] fortune. Reventlow was the only child of heiress [[Barbara Hutton]] and her second husband, Count Kurt von [[Reventlow|Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow]]. His stepfathers included actor [[Cary Grant]] and Prince [[Igor Troubetzkoy]].

== Early years ==
<!-- Do NOT change the spelling of the image file! -->[[File:Lawrence "Lance" Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow's parents separate, London, 1938.jpg|thumb|Reventlow as a child circa 1938]]
Lance Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow was the only child of Danish nobleman of German descent Count Kurt von [[Haugwitz|Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow]] and American socialite [[Barbara Hutton]]. Hutton had inherited the [[F.W. Woolworth Company|Woolworth]] department store fortune and was then one of the wealthiest women in the world. Reventlow was born at [[Winfield House]] in [[London]], 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]].<ref name="ottawa">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19581120&id=zzUzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6191,7534101 |title=Barbara Hutton's Son Grows Up |date=20 November 1958 |work=Ottawa Citizen |page=20 |access-date=30 May 2014}}</ref>

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.<ref name="ottawa" /> Before his father was to relinquish custody, he sent Reventlow to Canada.<ref name="ottawa" /> Hutton regained custody of Reventlow in 1945. Reventlow was largely estranged from his father until the Count's death in 1969.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19720725&id=TiEiAAAAIBAJ&pg=4271,3437024 |title=Reventlow Was Born, Died Rich |last=Thomas |first=Bob |date=25 July 1972 |work=The Day |page=20 |access-date=30 May 2014}}</ref>

== Racing career ==
{{Infobox F1 driver
| name = Lance Reventlow
| nationality = American
| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|2|24|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1972|7|24|1936|2|24|df=y}}
| Years = {{F1|1960}}
| Team(s) = [[Scarab (constructor)|Scarab]], [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]]
| Races = 4 (1 start)
| Championships = 0
| Wins = 0
| Podiums = 0
| Points = 0
| Poles = 0
| Fastest laps = 0
| First race = [[1960 Monaco Grand Prix]]
| First win = 
| Last win = 
| Last race = [[1960 British Grand Prix]]
}}

In 1948, at age 12, Reventlow was introduced to the world of [[Grand Prix motor racing]] when his mother married [[Igor Troubetzkoy|Prince Igor Troubetzkoy]], who won the [[Targa Florio]] 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, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], Reventlow became friends with fellow auto enthusiast [[James Dean]] and competed in club events around California. On 30 September 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]]. Reventlow said he had coffee with Dean at a restaurant approximately thirty minutes before [[Death of James Dean|Dean was killed in an automobile accident]] near [[Cholame, California]], while driving his [[Porsche 550 Spyder]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19551021&id=6IcbAAAAIBAJ&pg=6936,6263654 |title=Behind the Scenes in Hollywood |last=Carroll |first=Harrison |date=21 October 1955 |work=The Dispatch |page=6 |access-date=30 May 2014}}</ref>

=== Professional career ===
Reventlow began his racing career in America in the mid-1950s, initially with a [[Mercedes-Benz#Motorsport|Mercedes]] before moving to an 1100cc [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]] in 1956.<ref name ="ReferenceA" /> The next year he went to Europe to buy a [[Maserati in motorsport|Maserati]], which he crashed heavily at [[Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit|Snetterton]], escaping unhurt.<ref name ="ReferenceA" /> He also briefly drove a Cooper [[Formula 2]] car, before returning to the United States.<ref name ="ReferenceA" /> He then set up his own company in [[Venice, California]], to construct [[Chevrolet]]-powered race cars he named [[Scarab (constructor)|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 Cars|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, Colorado|Castle Rock]] in [[Douglas County, Colorado]], where he broke a course record.

His racing team was much talked about for having built the first [[Formula One]] race car in America. Shifting operations overseas to [[UK|Britain]], 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]] 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."<ref name="sunday">{{cite news |title=Lance Reventlow Dies in Crash |date=26 July 1972 |work=[[The Daytona Beach News-Journal|Daytona Beach Morning Journal]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |page=8 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1879&dat=19720723&id=QE8fAAAAIBAJ&pg=3509,3123056 |access-date=20 May 2023 |via=[[Google News Archive]]}}</ref>

On 24 March 1960, Reventlow married actress [[Jill St. John]] at the [[Mark Hopkins Hotel]] in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7v1kAAAAIBAJ&pg=2947%2C4403268|title=Millions, Beauty Add Glamour to Wedding of Reventlow, Starlet|date=25 March 1960|agency=Associated Press|work=St. Joseph Gazette|volume=115|issue=240|page=1}}</ref> St. John filed for [[legal separation]] on 11 July 1962, but withdrew the suit three weeks later.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-_MeAAAAIBAJ&pg=6779%2C1301346|title=Actress And Heir Try To Mend 'Split'|date=18 September 1962|agency=Associated Press|work=Sarasota Journal|volume=11|issue=110|page=12}}</ref> She filed for divorce on 2 October 1963, citing extreme cruelty;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19631002&id=VLFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3939,6460019 |title=Jill St. John Asks Divorce, Charges Extreme Cruelty |date=2 October 1963 |work=The Blade |page=3 |access-date=30 May 2014}}</ref> 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 30 October 1963.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-lincoln-star-jill-and-celeste-are-pa/62921401|title=Jill St. John Receives Divorce|date=31 October 1963|agency=United Press International|work=The Lincoln Star|volume=62|issue=26|page=10}}</ref>

While estranged from St. John, Reventlow dated actress [[Sherry Jackson]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Earl |title=Last Night: Ex-Cleopatra Boss Gets Fat Offer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/275267913/?terms=reventlow&match=1 |access-date=27 October 2023 |publisher=The Morning Call |date=30 November 1962}}</ref>

On 6 November 1964, Reventlow married ex-[[Mickey Mouse Club|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&nbsp;acres in [[Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles|Benedict Canyon]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19641106&id=nnEhAAAAIBAJ&pg=2066,1347036 |title=600 See Lance Reventlow Marry Cheryl Holdridge |last=Bacon |first=James |date=6 November 1964 |work=Schenectady Gazette |page=20 |access-date=30 May 2014}}</ref>

=== Death ===
In 1972, Reventlow was seeking real-estate developers as partners to build a ski resort in [[Aspen, Colorado]], where he had a home.<ref name="sunday" /> He was an experienced pilot, with thousands of hours, rated fully for [[Instrument rating|IFR]] on multi-engine planes, but on 24 July 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 [[Stall (flight)|stalled]] the aircraft while trying to turn around.<ref name="sunday" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=65716&key=0 |title=NTSB report on the fatal plane accident |access-date=3 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923041817/https://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=65716&key=0 |archive-date=23 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The plane plunged to the ground, killing all four aboard.<ref name="sunday" />

Reventlow was initially buried, but his remains were later exhumed and cremated. His ashes are interred in the Woolworth mausoleum at the [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in [[the Bronx]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Heymann |first=C. David |title=Poor Little Rich Girl |url=https://archive.org/details/poorlittlerichgi00heym |url-access=registration |year=1987 |publisher=Pocket Books |isbn=0-671-64069-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/poorlittlerichgi00heym/page/380 380]}}</ref>

== Racing career results ==
=== Complete Formula One World Championship results ===
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]])
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! WDC
! [[List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems|Pts]]
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[1960 Formula One season|1960]]
! Reventlow Automobiles Inc.
! [[Scarab (constructor)|Scarab]] [[Scarab F1|F1]]
! [[Scarab (constructor)|Scarab]] 2.5 [[Straight-4|L4]]
| [[1960 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
| style="background:#FFCFCF;" | [[1960 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
| [[1960 Indianapolis 500|500]]
| style="background:#ffffff;" | [[1960 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|DNS}}
| style="background:#EFCFFF;" | [[1960 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1960 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
|
|
|
|
! rowspan=2 | NC
! rowspan=2 | 0
|-
! [[Rob Walker Racing Team|R.R.C. Walker Racing Team]]
! [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]] [[Cooper T51|T51]]
! [[Coventry Climax#FPF|Climax FPF 2.5 L4]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
| [[1960 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>PO{{sup|†}}</small>
| [[1960 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]
| [[1960 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
| [[1960 United States Grand Prix|USA]]
|-
!colspan="16"|{{center|{{small|Source:<ref name="ReferenceA"/>}}}}
|}
† At the [[1960 British Grand Prix]], Reventlow drove the Cooper in practice only. The car was driven in the race by [[Chuck Daigh]].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |last=Small |first=Steve |title=The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who |publisher=Guinness |date=1994 |page=315 |isbn=0-85112-702-9}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131231025339/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/topic/article/Lance_Reventlow/1900-01-01/2100-12-31/mdd/index.htm Lance Reventlow] at [[Sports Illustrated|sportsillustrated.cnn.com]]
* {{imdb name|1586815}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150802000504/http://www.racer.com/more/historic/item/119773-two-scarabs-america-s-first-f1-cars-up-for-auction Two Scarabs – America's first F1 cars – up for auction]
* {{Find a Grave|10383474}}

{{Scarab}}
{{Woolworth}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reventlow, Lance}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:American Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:American people of Danish descent]]
[[Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:British people of Danish descent]]
[[Category:British people of German descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)]]
[[Category:Cooper Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Counts of Denmark]]
[[Category:20th-century Danish nobility]]
[[Category:Danish racing drivers]]
[[Category:Danish people of German descent]]
[[Category:Formula One team owners]]
[[Category:Haugwitz family|Lance]]
[[Category:Hutton family]]
[[Category:Reventlow family|Lance]]
[[Category:Scarab Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from London]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1972]]
[[Category:Woolworth family]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from Colorado]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Colorado]]