I was first introduced to Robert O’Rourke by my good friend, Tony Serpini. Once introduced, it’s simply Rorky or just Bob, as if you were mates with De Niro! We have been friends for a while and it’s always worth the 3hr drive from up here in the north to see him down Sussex way!! On this occasion, it was special as I’m one of the first people to see, photograph and film his finished Razor Edge.
Rorky, along with AJ, leads a busy and committed team at the award winning O’Rourke Coachtrimmers, based in West Sussex.
Each time I visit O’Rourke, I am in awe of the sheer wonders of the cars the team are working on. The Rorky Shop Tour is an opportunity not to be missed. The combination of his knowledge of the automotive industry and the impressive archive that has been collected over the years makes for an exciting listen!
Now to the subject of this quick feature – the 1964 Razor Edge Mohawk Karmann Ghia.
Obtained by Rorky in May 2018, it was originally imported from the USA by Steve Custance, who planned to restore the car himself. Unfortunately, Steve broke his pelvis, forcing him to sell the Razor.
Rorky’s good friend, Dan ‘Smiley Biskwit’ Smith, bought the Razor on Rorky’s behalf. He also organised the car body to be shot blasted and had sourced a beautiful handmade exhaust from Mike Haussmann, at Vintage Volkshaus. Dan is an amazing pal.
In addition to being a world-class trimmer, Rorky is an ingenious fabricator, which is fortunate, as with many old VWs, almost every corner needed work.
The eagle-eyed of you may have already noticed a very daring and unique change to the roof, hence the name ‘Mohawk’. Rorky explained “I made the rise in steel, cut the roof with a disk so as not to stretch the leading edge of steel, mig welded on low heat and instantly cooled with compressed air, tense stuff, and no distortion whatsoever!” Bravo.
“70% of the work was completed at home” Rorky goes on to say, “attempting a resto like this on your own, you have to work methodically as its easy to get overwhelmed by the magnitude. I finished each job i primered & sealed each panel. This helps you see the metal work finish line.”
During my visit, Rorky took me to lunch at The Parrot Pub, around 6 miles from the workshop. A little perspective here – I previously owned a 1962 Karmann Ghia in Lotus White, with a gloss black roof, slammed on hydraulics. I used to pootle around, not going anywhere particularly fast.
In comparison, the Mohawk Razor is very impressive, with a well-tuned engine and perfect suspension set up, the 6-mile ride to the pub had me looking for seatbelts that were not there. Rorky’s spirited drive was utterly brilliant and beautifully committed. I loved it.
The Razors engine is a 1776cc with a tall 4th gear, with a low down torque, resulting in no over-revving. In Rorky’s words “a perfect balance”.
Jez Parsons of Carrera Performance was a huge help with solving many issues that a modified car has. Jez worked his magic on the engine and suspension to make it feel planted to the road. Furthermore, the engine is fused to a brilliant looking and sounding exhaust by Vintage Volkshaus – it is an automotive Michelin starred recipe. Rorky continues “Jez is such a well-kept secret in the Porsche world; ability matched with integrity which is a rare find”. Amen!
A crucial part of any restoration is choosing the perfect paint. It was only right that Rorky looked to his father, Kevin “King Kong Kev” of Mototechnique. Christened Serpini Greeny, the specially mixed paint shimmers in the sunlight and matches the car perfectly, making it one of the best paint work I have ever seen on a car.
I asked Rorky if there were any major challenges doing a resto. “Building a car that I hadn’t stripped, with many planned alternations in mind that create another list of jobs, for example changing from LHD to RHD. To do this properly means moving window wiper mounts which meaning everything has to clear behind the dash – wipers have to miss glove box, clocks, stereo and the Verbasto heater that are plumbed in up front, 3 inch narrowed beam and upgraded to Willwood disks all around (I was glad of that!) and Limebug front beam gave me slightly more clearance than the beam that came with my build, dropped spindles, finishes off the front. I replaced the swing axel with IRS beam.
I haven’t found anything particular hard. Covid was frustrating for many reasons while restoring a car as the world came to a halt. I have made bespoke headrests and steering wheel which were a fun challenge & many nights were spent in the shed sailing in to the small hours.”
When I attend events, the likes of Concours of Elegance or Salon Privé I often wonder when I see something like a 250 GTO, TDF, DB4 or maybe a Miura… ‘Is that an O’Rourke interior??!!’ Goes without saying that the Razors interior is spectacular. Not tied to client constraints, his mind wandered and entered the realm of free expression! It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
The upholstery, the headrests, the headlining, wonderfully machined switches, the steering wheel, almost everything has had in some way been changed. Even with my short time in the car, I couldn’t soak everything in as it was all overwhelmingly stunning! If Claude Monet created car interiors, it would be just like this Mohawk Razor!!
When Rorky told me in 2019 about his Razor restoration, he promised me “you will be one of the first to get your camera at it”, so on a rare sunny day in mid-October 2022, that promise was fulfilled and I feel honoured to be the first to capture it. I’m sure there will be more in depth features of this car in various media BUT for a person to keep their word to someone that’s not even a professional photographer or a features writer means more to me than any car.
Thank you Rorky – you are a true friend.
I’ll leave this last part to the man himself…..
This car is dedicated to my girls, Lise ‘The Pony’ Pinchbeck and my beautiful daughters, Bonnie and Nancy.
I want to thank Geoff Cousins for his machining wizardry, Jez Parsons of Carrera Performance for wiring and engine set up. Mototechnique – I went into their workshop every Thursday over Covid to prepare the body for paint. It has been fun brushing up on my old skills and working in my father’s paint shop. I have to thank King Kong Kev for owning one of the best paint shops in the world. Thank you to Jim Playford for helping through the primer stages and Neil Lloyd for applying the top coat – they are all amazing fellas!!
Big thanks to Mikie Hausmann for the exhaust and Dan and Steve for being amongst the greatest folk I know and also Rowan “Big Sticky” for my Coachtrimmers.com stickers. And last but not least, AJ Pink, who runs O’Rourkes with me, for being patient!
Below images ©O’Rourke Coachtrimmers
