Lance Reventlow

Lance Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, (24 February 1936 – 24 July 1972) was a British-born American entrepreneur, racing driver 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 and Prince Igor Troubetzkoy.

Early years

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-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, 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.

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.

Racing career

In 1948, at age 12, Reventlow was introduced to the world of Grand Prix motor racing when his mother married 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, 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 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.

On 24 March 1960, Reventlow married actress Jill St. John at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. St. John filed for legal separation on 11 July 1962, but withdrew the suit three weeks later. She filed for divorce on 2 October 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 30 October 1963.

While estranged from St. John, Reventlow dated actress Sherry Jackson.

On 6 November 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, where he had a home. The plane plunged to the ground, killing all four aboard.

Racing career results

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(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

! Pts

| rowspan=2 | 1960

! Reventlow Automobiles Inc.

! Scarab F1

! Scarab 2.5 L4

| ARG

| style="background:#FFCFCF;" | MON

| 500

| style="background:#ffffff;" | NED

| style="background:#EFCFFF;" | BEL

| FRA

! rowspan=2 | NC

! rowspan=2 | 0

! R.R.C. Walker Racing Team

! Cooper T51

! Climax FPF 2.5 L4

| GBR PO

| POR

| ITA

| USA

!colspan="16"|