Peter Revson
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Peter Jeffrey Revson (born in New York City, February 27, 1939 - died in Johannesburg, South Africa, March 22, 1974) was a racecar and Formula One driver from United States.
The nephew of Revlon Cosemtics industry magnate Charles Revson, Peter was an heir to his father Martin's fortune (reportedly worth over $1 billion). He was a young, handsome bachelor who was described as a "free spirit" that passed up an easy life for one of speed and danger. Off the track, he led his life at the same accelerated pace. Revson piloted a 32-foot ChrisCraft and squired some of the most beautiful women in the world, including fashion model and 1973 Miss World, Marjorie Wallace. He had met Wallace at the Indianapolis 500; she was an Indianapolis native who was referred to as the "Hoosier Hotshot."
While at Cornell university, he began racing cars and in 1971 drove for McLaren and became the first American to win the Can-Am Championship. That same season he finished second in the Indianapolis 500 after posting the fastest qualifying time. The following year, Revson was named to the McLaren Formula One team. He remained with the team for two years, winning the British Grand Prix and Canadian Grand Prix in 1973, before moving to Shadow in 1974. During a practice run for the 1974 South African Grand Prix in Johannesburg, he was killed as a result of suspension failure on his Shadow Ford DN3. He was the second Revson to lose his life racing; his brother Douglas was killed in a crash in Denmark in 1967. Peter and Douglas Revson are interred together in a crypt at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
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