Hi folks,
Why did Revson leave Mc Laren at the end of 1973 ? He and Denny Hulme seemed to be the best of friends, and Mc Laren was stronger than Shadow at that time. And why he desapeared from F1 after 1964 and only returned on the early seventies ?

Due to the arrival of Emerson Fittipaldi, bearing a large amount of Marlboro money. Marlboro/McLaren were only going to run two cars and Revson was offered only third string, with Yardley sponsorship. Shadow offered him a better deal.

I think it was a combination of disenchantment (lack of success) and running out of money. Although he was part of the Revlon cosmetics family, he had financed his own racing - the "rich playboy" image was not merited in Pete's case.

He was going to be the sole #1 at Shadow. He had been #2 to Hulme at McLaren. Don Nichols says to this day that he was the best driver they ever
had particularly from a developmental point of view.

I think he left F1 in the '60s because he knew or felt he needed more
experience.

He was a surprising modest and shy man. He didn't like too much spotlight.
He just wanted to race. He was a very well rounded racer who did well in
Indy cars, Can-Am, Trans-Am and F1. He was really going to bust out with
Shadow in my opinion.

I would still like to find out more information (esp. photos) on how Peter started his career here racing sportscars at Dillingham Field in 1960.

Peter Revson attended several Eastern prep schools and colleges but his interests was mainly in sports, particularly football. Restless, he moved to Hawaii, and while attending the University of Hawaii he entered some Associated Sports Car Club events in 1960 driving a Morgan Plus 4. He was 2nd his first time out,won his second race, but after his third the local organization banned him as "too aggressive."
http://www.nsxhelp.com/amnsxlit/hawaii.htm
http://www.mshf.com/index.htm?/hof/revson_peter.htm

"Revvie" was a great all around sportsman who won a competition against
other American professionals from the NFL, NBA, etc. He was particularly
strong in the swimming events. I think the prize was around $20,000 at the time. I was very impressed.

Ah, yes - Superstars. Jackie Stewart and Jody Scheckter both did well in that too. I think all the "traditional" sportsmen were surprised at the stamina and upper body strength of the racing drivers. IIRC Stewart set one of the best ever marks in the "Chin" event (pull-ups resting your chin on a bar), while Jody was particularly impressive in the "squat-thrust".

I believe that Peter felt that he would always get "second best" at McLaren. In an "all too brief" talk with him at the "Glen," he directly stated those feelings. Shadow was certainly the way for him to go. His death was a real blow to the American racing efforts.

Despite his name, the Revlon cosmetics empire was run by Peter Revson's father's brother. His side of the family was not involved, at least not at the time Peter came of age and press attention. I'm not saying Peter didn't come from a comfortable background, just not as comfortable as "Revlon Heir" would denote. One of the problems with motorsports reporters is that they rarely read the business section of the newspaper. It's the same situation as Ted Field always being called a "Department Store Heir", when his side of the family had sold out their interest in the Marshall Field department store shortly after Ted's birth. I can cite numerous other examples, but let it suffice that racing (and other sports) writers often go for sensation rather than facts. But isn't this the practice of most journalists today.

Sadly, yes!

Actually the Revlon saga was a bad one. Charles Revson actually cheated his
brother, Peter's father, out of his share of Revlon. He was such an evil
man that Helena Rubenstein refused to use his name and always referred to him as "THAT MAN". So Charles really got her goat by releasing a fragrance
called...THAT MAN. It was a huge success!

Looking for a suitable Revson thread I choose this one :

In 1964 Peter revson under the Revson Racing (America) name entered 5 WCF1 and 7 NWCF1 races in a Lotus 24 BRM. A pretty outdated combo by 1964 , thus he did not show up much in good results.

Does any of you know anything about his team , did he have some kind of deal with Parnell or did he just pop up with the car etc . ?

Bjorn,
According to the the Leon Mandel / Peter Revson book, John Cooper suggested that Revson approach Reg Parnell to rent some garage space for his 1963 Cooper (RP had lost his sponsor and would appreciate the income). Reg kept an eye on Peter's 1963 F3 performances and offered him a Formula One test driver role for 1964, supporting the Lotus 25 pairing of Chris Amon and Mike Hailwood. Sadly, of course, Reg died that winter.
"....Parnell's son Tim took over the team.......Revson and Tim Parnell made a deal for Revson to drive a Lotus-BRM in Formula 1, but it would have to be under the name Revson Racing, because that way it could be rated as though it were a different team altogether and that would mean additional starting money."

That seems to explain the origins of the team (which was Peter and one mechanic I think) but I'm not sure whether the Lotus-BRM car itself was already owned by the Parnells or whether Tim acquired it for Peter, or Peter found it elsewhere, early in 1964.

John

Peter's car was part of the package that Reg Parnell put together for 1964. The cars were all to have the latest Climax engines, but with Reg's untimely death, the team were left with carb BRMs and though not stictly outdated, they were certainly not up with the rest.

Peter Revson's Ron Harris Lotus 35 F2 at Oulton Park 1965

I believe George Eaton's family owned a Department Store in Canada called "Eaton's".

Right you are. The chain went bankrupt in 1999 and was aquired by Sears.

The legacy being the Eaton Centre Shopping Mall in Toronto, at the end of the long maze of underground walkways and shops.

I suppose they sell Revlon cosmetics in there somewhere, so it's a tenuous link

Post 16 : David I take it as a misunderstanding from your side ? Else you have to explain the connection ,please.

If anyone is interested in the Revson/ Revlon business, I suggest Fire and Ice by Andrew Tobias published by William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1976. It is mainly about Charles (Peter's uncle) but also covers Martin (Peter's dad) and the building of the business. Peter is mentioned and photos of him are also in the book. Peter was admired by Charles in that he had struck out on his own and did what he wanted. A quote: "The Revson toughness, pride, and drive for excellence was every bit as clear in Peter as it was in Charles and Martin."

B²

Bjorn:

The connection is strictly rich guys racing possible from family fortunes, nothing more, nothing less.

David, I thought that the idea (myth?) of Peter Revson racing on the family fortune has long been debunked.
Tom

Indeed, but poles apart in terms of talent (Indy pole winner, British & Canadian GP winner vs er, what?).

Having money doesn't make you fast.

Oh, I'm not so sure about that, Nioge.

George did some pretty creditable work at times and I think you're selling him very short.

And no, I'm not about to trot out the stats to back it up. Those who know...know.

Peter Revson father was still very rich. We'll never know how much he supported Peter. Nonetheless he had a boatload of talent and he was a very, very accomplished race driver who won enough money on his own.

Point taken, I was too harsh, but George wasn't in any way comparable to Revvie in terms of ability or success.

At the end of the day, one respects anyone who got in to one of those cars on those tracks in that era, especially a BRM at Mosport!

I notice a number of posts seem to think "Rich Kids" were the only drivers who managed to become great in the sport. If you look over entry lists of almost any SCCA event in the early days (the 50's and onward) many times you would see an entrant who you never heard of with a driver listed who was fortunate enough to have a backer of sorts to get him in a better ride. These fellows were fortunate enough to not have to be spending there own money. I guess they would cover their own expenses to get there and stay for a few days. I guess hanging around the country club and playing a lot of golf gets boring so for a little excitement they buy a car, offer some up and coming kid a ride and go have a good time enjoying the racing. With out taking the risk of getting themselves killed. Unless the wife catches up with you and asks about that good looking blond keeping the lap chart and then you will probably get killed in divorce court. I also have heard that a few fellows would enter a car at the Indy 500 just to have access to the pits for the month of May and it included a number of passes so you could bring your friends along. So, I personally am happy that some young men with deep pockets could buy some very hot cars and get them over here and race them. I would not want to grow up with out hearing a Lister or Porsche RS going up the hill from corner 5 at Road America. Corner 12 was called Thunder Valley because of the noise bouncing off of the hills. Next time you go to the historic races, stand there and just listen. And be thankful for the Briggs Cunninghams, the Jim Kimberlys, and the import car dealers that bought a great car and put Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Shelby and others in them and gave us the memories. Grandprix61

Thanks to all , especially post 13 John & post 14 Keir confirming his 1964 F1 transports. Also thanks to post 15 Stephen for a nice F2 picture.