Lil' American Trucks

1954 Mercury M-100 rides again
Alex So brings it to life in mini form.

1954 Mercury M-100
Lil’ American Trucks
1st in the series.

For lovers of pickup trucks, the 1954 Mercury M-100 is a gem. Sold only in Canada, the Mercury M-series was built by Ford and based on their F-series trucks.

One important difference in the two truck brands was the grille, and the Mercury grille is what first caught the eye of Keepsake Artist Alex So, back when he was doing a college research project.

“I fell in love with the design language of the Mercury grille. It really stood out from the others.”

To create the truck Alex fell for in miniature ornament form would not be easy, but he was up to the challenge. “I was passionate about preserving as many details of the M-100 as possible,” he explains, “and our team really pushed the limits of what we could manufacture to capture the essence and beauty of it.”

Alex hopes his passion for vintage trucks comes through in his new Lil’ American Trucks series, which will feature a different classic each year. “I really want to celebrate people who love their trucks,” he says. “The process of seeing my design sketches turn into 3D models and then into mockup samples was exciting. But the most enjoyable part was seeing the finished product ready to go on the shelf-and hopefully land on the tree of a vintage truck lover like me.”

“1954 Mercury M-100 rides again.” For Keeps 22 Summer 2023: 6.