Margeaux Hamrock

Her 1974 Dodge Tradesman

- Remy Ramirez

“It’s like having a bachelorette pad on wheels,” Margeaux Hamrock says with a laugh as we cruise toward her Long Beach digs, just a few miles up the coast from her hometown of Huntington Beach. Bob Dylan croons through the speakers while Mustard, her Chihuahua-terrier mix, sits perched on my lap, scanning the scene. It’s easy to see what Hamrock means. The 28-year-old makeup artist, hairstylist, and salon owner’s bright yellow ’74 Dodge Tradesman—a sort of Scooby-Doomeets-Kill Bill hybrid—is every free spirit’s dream. With a sage stick and patchouli-rose spray tucked into the cup holders, a surfboard tossed in the back over vintage blankets, and a “Kill ’Em All” sticker overseeing the whole operation from the dashboard, the ride’s retro-mystical sensibilities are rivaled only by its girl-power vibes.

“As an artist, whatever you touch is a reflection of you,” she offers, maneuvering the vehicle’s massive steering wheel. “I very much feel like the van is a part of me, and I’m a part of it.” With Hamrock’s nickname “Geaux” emblazoned on the auto’s side, it’s clear that relationship is real. The lightning bolt punctuating the moniker is also pretty telling: “I love that my salon anchors me to Long Beach,” she says, “but whenever I have the chance to split, I get the hell out of Dodge.”

Have you always been into vintage cars?

I’ve pretty much only driven old cars. My first was a ’63 Ford Falcon Futura that I bought when I was 15. Next was a ’64 [Ford] Ranchero, and then a ’73 Dodge van.

So this is your second vintage van?