Lance Reventlow

Lance Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow
Born	(1936-02-24) February 24, 1936 London, England, United Kingdom
Died	July 24, 1972(1972-07-24) (aged 36)
Occupation(s)	Businessman, race car driver
Known for	Heir to the Woolworth fortune, founder of Scarab racing team

Lance Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, (February 24, 1936 – July 24, 1972) was a British-born American businessman, race car driver, and heir to the Woolworth fortune. He was the sole offspring of heiress Barbara Hutton and her second spouse, Count Kurt von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow. Among his stepfathers were actor Cary Grant and Prince Igor Troubetzkoy.

Early years

File:Lawrence "Lance" Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow's parents separate, London, 1938.jpg

Reventlow as a young boy around 1938

Lance Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow was born to Count Kurt von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, a Danish nobleman of German heritage, and Barbara Hutton, an American socialite who had inherited the Woolworth department store fortune, making her one of the wealthiest women globally. His birth took place at Winfield House in London, a residence restored by his mother and named in honor of her grandfather, Frank Winfield Woolworth. The delivery was complicated, nearly costing his mother her life. During childhood, Lance experienced respiratory difficulties and suffered from asthma.

The marriage between his parents—Hutton’s second out of seven—was fraught with difficulties and ended in divorce in 1938. Following their separation, Lance became embroiled in a contentious custody dispute. In 1944, custody was granted to his father until Lance reached school age, after which custody would transfer to his mother. Prior to handing over custody, his father sent him to Canada. Barbara Hutton regained custody in 1945. Lance remained largely distant from his father until the latter’s death in 1969.

Racing career

In 1948, when Reventlow was just 12 years old, he was introduced to the realm of Grand Prix motor racing through his mother's marriage to Prince Igor Troubetzkoy, who had secured victory in that year's Targa Florio. During his adolescence, Reventlow's financial resources enabled him to acquire the latest exotic automobiles, which naturally led to his engagement in motorsport.

While living in Hollywood, Reventlow formed a friendship with fellow car enthusiast James Dean and participated in various club racing events throughout California. On September 30, 1955, Reventlow and Bruce Kessler were among the last individuals to converse with Dean as they traveled to a race in Salinas, California. Reventlow recalled sharing coffee with Dean at a café roughly half an hour before Dean tragically lost his life in a car crash near Cholame, California, while driving his Porsche 550 Spyder.

Professional career

Reventlow initiated his motorsport pursuits in the United States during the mid-1950s, beginning with a Mercedes before switching to an 1100cc Cooper in 1956. The following year, he ventured to Europe to purchase a Maserati, which he subsequently crashed severely at Snetterton, though he emerged unscathed. He also briefly piloted a Cooper Formula 2 vehicle prior to returning stateside.

Upon his return, Reventlow established his own enterprise in Venice, California, dedicated to building Chevrolet-powered race cars branded as Scarab, with Phil Remington serving as chief engineer. Together with hired driver Chuck Daigh, the team quickly achieved notable success on the track. They secured victories in most major sports car competitions they entered, frequently contending against the Cunningham team's Lister Jaguars. Although Reventlow considered purchasing a Lister Jaguar, he believed he could engineer a superior vehicle himself. Daigh notably drove a Scarab to triumph at the 1958 Riverside International Grand Prix in California, outperforming international competitors including driver Phil Hill and the Ferrari squad. Additionally, Carroll Shelby claimed first place driving a Scarab at Continental Divide Raceways in Castle Rock, setting a new course record.

Reventlow's outfit gained attention for producing what was regarded as America's first Formula One car. After relocating operations to Britain, his team struggled to compete with the emerging rear-engine Formula One cars while racing the front-engined Scarabs. He then developed a rear-engined Scarab prototype designed for competitiveness; however, by the time testing was underway, Reventlow's interest in racing had diminished. In 1962, he closed the business, leased the California workshop to Shelby, and withdrew from auto racing entirely.

Throughout its lifespan, Reventlow's organization built eight Scarabs. In a 1971 interview, he detailed that these included three front-engined Chevrolet-powered sports cars, three front-engined formula vehicles, one rear-engined formula car, and one rear-engined sports car. Two of the front-engined formula cars were equipped with engines commissioned from American racing engine designer Leo Goossen, tailored to Reventlow's specifications; the third utilized a Goossen-designed and engineered Offenhauser engine. The rear-engined formula car featured a modified Buick powerplant; this engine along with its suspension and brake components were subsequently used in the rear-engined sports car—the final Scarab produced.

Personal life

At 21 years old, Reventlow faced the decision of selecting citizenship among American, Danish, or British options. He opted for American nationality, remarking, "I gave it a solid 20 seconds of thought."

On March 24, 1960, he wed actress Jill St. John at San Francisco's Mark Hopkins Hotel. Their marriage ended in separation by October 1962. St. John initiated divorce proceedings on October 2, 1963, alleging severe cruelty; she claimed Reventlow publicly insulted her by calling her "stupid and incompetent" and pressured her to engage in hazardous sports activities. The divorce was finalized on October 30, 1963.

During the period following his separation from St. John, Reventlow was romantically involved with actress Sherry Jackson.

Reventlow's second marriage took place on November 6, 1964, when he married former Mouseketeer Cheryl Holdridge in an extravagant Hollywood ceremony attended by 600 guests. Due to illness, his mother Barbara Hutton was unable to attend but presented the couple with a $500,000 residence featuring five bedrooms on a 21-acre estate in Benedict Canyon.

Death

In 1972, Reventlow was actively seeking partnerships with real estate developers to construct a ski resort in Aspen, Colorado, where he owned a residence. A skilled aviator holding thousands of flight hours and fully certified for IFR multi-engine aircraft operation, he was a passenger on July 24 that year in a rented single-engine Cessna 206 while surveying potential real estate sites. The pilot, a 27-year-old student with only 39 hours of flight experience, inadvertently flew into a blind canyon amid a thunderstorm and stalled the plane attempting to turn around. The aircraft crashed, resulting in the deaths of all four occupants.

Initially interred after his passing, Reventlow's remains were later exhumed and cremated. His ashes now rest within the Woolworth family mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Team	Car	Power unit	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Championship position	Points
1960	Reventlow Automobiles Inc.	Scarab F1	Scarab 2.5 L4	ARG	MON DNQ	500	NED DNS	BEL Ret	FRA					NC	0
	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Cooper T51	Climax FPF 2.5 L4							GBR PO†	POR	ITA	USA
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† During the 1960 British Grand Prix, Reventlow participated in practice sessions driving the Cooper; however, the race itself was contested by Chuck Daigh.

External links

• Lance Reventlow profile at sportsillustrated.cnn.com
• Template:Imdb name
• Auction listing for two Scarabs – the pioneering American F1 vehicles
• Template:Find a Grave