# Peter Revson
**Peter Revson** (Peter Jeffrey Revson, February 27, 1939 – March 22, 1974) was an American racing driver who won the 1971 Can-Am championship, took pole position for the 1971 [Indianapolis 500](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis-500), and won two Formula One Grands Prix with McLaren before being killed in a testing accident at Kyalami, South Africa.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | February 27, 1939, New York, New York; March 22, 1974, Kyalami, South Africa[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html) |
| Formula One record | 2 wins, McLaren career span 1972–1973[2](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/) |
| Championship finishes | Fifth in the world championship in both 1972 and 1973[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html) |
| Grand Prix wins | 1973 British GP at Silverstone and 1973 Canadian GP at Mosport, both in the McLaren M23-Ford[2](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/) • [3](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/1973/drivers/PETREV01/peter-revson) |
| Can-Am | Won the 1971 Can-Am championship in his first season with the McLaren team[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html) |
| Indianapolis 500 | 5 starts, 1 pole (1971, qualifying speed 178.696 mph), best finish of 2nd in 1971[4](https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/history/historical-stats/driver-stats/drivers/peter-revson) |
| Hall of Fame | Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Sports Cars category, class of 1996[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html) |
## Background and early career
Revson was born in New York to a co-founder of the cosmetics giant Revlon, and he downplayed the connection while bristling at media portrayals of him as a playboy heir[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html). He attended several Eastern prep schools and colleges, where his main interest was sports, particularly football. While living in Hawaii in 1960 he bought a Morgan and entered club events; he won his second race, but after his third the local organization banned him as "too aggressive." He continued in SCCA racing nationally and moved to Europe in 1963 to pursue a professional career, traveling and often sleeping in a converted bread van[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html).
By the end of his first European year he had been invited to drive a Formula 1 car. In 1964 he raced a Lotus-BRM four times, and the uncompetitive Parnell squad left him near the back of the field[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html) • [2](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/). Ford signed him to its GT40 team, and he drove for Ford and later American Motors in the Trans-Am, taking two victories; he was also present at the 1966 founding of the Can-Am series[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html). In 1965 his younger brother Douglas, also a racer, died in a crash in Denmark[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html).
## Can-Am, Indycars, and the return to Formula One
**Rebuilding in America.** After the disappointing 1964 [Formula One](https://www.edgepedia.org/formula-one) experience, Revson spent seven years building his reputation in the United States, winning the 1965 Monaco F3 race and establishing himself in endurance racing, Trans-Am, Can-Am, and Indycars[5](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/peter-revson-not-just-a-pretty-face-5103180/5103180/). After a string of strong Can-Am campaigns driving for [Carroll Shelby](https://www.edgepedia.org/carroll-shelby) and for Lola importer Carl Haas, Revson received an invitation from Teddy Mayer in 1971 to join McLaren, the team that dominated the series, and he quickly captured the Can-Am title[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html).
His widest recognition that year came at [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), where the "rich kid from New York" was fastest qualifier for the 500, one of three poles on his Indycar record alongside one outright victory (1969, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Repco-Brabham)[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html). McLaren's heritage account puts the 1971 pole at a record speed of just over 176 mph[2](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/), while the Speedway's own statistics list his 1971 qualifying speed as 178.696 mph[4](https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/history/historical-stats/driver-stats/drivers/peter-revson). In the race he finished second to [Al Unser](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-unser), the best Indy 500 result of his career[4](https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/history/historical-stats/driver-stats/drivers/peter-revson) • [12](https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/history/historical-stats/race-stats/race-results/1971).
The 1971 Indy effort grew from a break the previous year, when Chris Amon could not get McLaren's first Indycar up to speed at the 1970 Indy 500 and Revson took over the seat[6](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1998/84/wheel-fortune/). After a one-off Formula One drive for Tyrrell at Watkins Glen in 1971, in which the clutch failed almost at the start, the Yardley-backed McLaren team recruited him for the next two seasons[2](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/).
## Formula One with McLaren
Revson joined the McLaren Formula One team for 1972. He scored his first pole position that year, at the [Canadian Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadian-grand-prix), and finished fifth in the world championship without contesting every race[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html) • [6](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1998/84/wheel-fortune/). His 1972 season included a third place in South Africa, thirds in Great Britain and Austria, and second in Canada[7](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/1972/drivers/PETREV01/peter-revson).
**The 1973 season.** Once he got his hands on the new McLaren M23 in 1973, he won both the British and Canadian Grands Prix and again finished fifth in the championship[2](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/) • [3](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/1973/drivers/PETREV01/peter-revson). At Silverstone he eased his stable McLaren into the lead after [Ronnie Peterson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronnie-peterson) had held sway for 31 laps, winning in 1 hour 29 minutes 18.5 seconds at 131.756 mph[8](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/special-article/100-greatest-gps-bookazine/12/96th-1973-british-gp/). [The Canadian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-canadian) victory at Mosport was more controversial, with no one sure who had won amid the confusion caused by the first ever use of a pace car[6](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1998/84/wheel-fortune/).
Against teammate [Denny Hulme](https://www.edgepedia.org/denny-hulme) in 1973, Revson was out-qualified 10 to 4 but won the races between them 8 to 6[9](https://f1report.net/head-to-head/1973-mclaren-hulme-vs-revson). His relationship with team principal Teddy Mayer unraveled over the season: he doubted the support he received relative to Hulme, felt insecure when McLaren protégé [Jody Scheckter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jody-scheckter) appeared as an occasional third driver, and was furious at being made to skip the [French Grand Prix](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-grand-prix) to run the Pocono USAC race for sponsor Gulf[5](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/peter-revson-not-just-a-pretty-face-5103180/5103180/). He made 23 starts for McLaren[5](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/peter-revson-not-just-a-pretty-face-5103180/5103180/), and when Emerson Fittipaldi became available for 1974, Revson was the driver let go[10](https://racer.com/2014/03/03/peter-revson-remembering-an-american-hero-40-years-on).
## Shadow and death
Revson moved to the nascent Shadow Formula One team for 1974[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html). His mechanic on the Shadow DN3, Roger Silman, recalled being enormously impressed with him, describing a man who wanted to help build the team and was prepared to wait for results[11](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/march-1994/23/there-but-for-fortune/).
On March 22, 1974, while testing at Kyalami in preparation for the South African Grand Prix, his car suffered a front suspension failure and plowed into the barrier at the circuit's Barbecue bend, and he was killed[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html) • [2](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/). The Motorsports Hall of Fame biography records the cause as suspension failure[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html).
## Reputation
Mayer, despite the strained relationship, told Autoweek that he felt Revson was "one of the top six drivers in F1"[1](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html). McLaren veteran Alastair Caldwell called him "a very competent, topline driver" who was hampered by his looks and image[5](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/peter-revson-not-just-a-pretty-face-5103180/5103180/). His 1973 wins, coming seven years after his unpromising 1964 debut, convinced skeptics that the wealthy background was not the whole story[5](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/peter-revson-not-just-a-pretty-face-5103180/5103180/). Off the track he filled society columns when he dated [Marjorie Wallace](https://www.edgepedia.org/marjorie-wallace), the American model who was then [Miss World](https://www.edgepedia.org/miss-world)[2](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/).
## References
1. [Peter Revson, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America](https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/peter-revson.html)
2. [Peter Revson, McLaren Racing Heritage](https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/peter-revson/)
3. [1973 Peter Revson Driver Standings, Formula1.com](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/1973/drivers/PETREV01/peter-revson)
4. [Peter Revson Driver Details, Indianapolis 500 Historical Stats](https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/history/historical-stats/driver-stats/drivers/peter-revson)
5. [Peter Revson: not just a pretty face, Autosport](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/peter-revson-not-just-a-pretty-face-5103180/5103180/)
6. [Peter Revson and the wheel of fortune, Motor Sport Magazine](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1998/84/wheel-fortune/)
7. [1972 Peter Revson Driver Standings, Formula1.com](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/1972/drivers/PETREV01/peter-revson)
8. [96th, 1973 British GP, Motor Sport Magazine](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/special-article/100-greatest-gps-bookazine/12/96th-1973-british-gp/)
9. [Denny Hulme vs Peter Revson: 1973 McLaren Head-to-Head, F1 Report](https://f1report.net/head-to-head/1973-mclaren-hulme-vs-revson)
10. [Peter Revson: Remembering an American hero, 40 years on, RACER](https://racer.com/2014/03/03/peter-revson-remembering-an-american-hero-40-years-on)
11. [Peter Revson: There but for fortune, Motor Sport Magazine](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/march-1994/23/there-but-for-fortune/)
12. [Race Stats by Year, Indianapolis 500 Historical Stats](https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/history/historical-stats/race-stats/race-results/1971)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Cycling and motor sport › Formula One and Grand Prix motor racing › Formula One drivers, teams, and records › Formula One drivers, 1950–1979*
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