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10 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 2022

We've lost count of how many different Hot Wheels cars we've seen all year. But we know for sure that Mattel has released a total of 15 Super Treasure Hunt models and 15 Regular Treasure Hunt ones. Each of them was assigned to a certain case, and they provided an extra incentive for collectors to go out and look for them. Today, we'll be ranking the Top 10 Regular Treasure Hunt models this year, which might look different for some of you.
10 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 2022 48 photos
Photo: Ministry of Diecast
10 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 202210 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 2022
Seeing that 2022 brought us an extra 15 TH vehicles, and we're only interested in the Top 10, that means five of them won't make it past the first stage. Mattel gave us a total of nine fantasy Treasure Hunts this year, which means that there are only six licensed cars to look at. Most collectors will agree that all of the latter should be included in the Top 10, so only four fantasy items will be included on the main list.

Design is intelligence made visible

In case you're wondering which ones we've chosen to leave out, here they are: the Dark Knight Batmobile (Case A), the Pixel Shaker (Case C), the Tooned Twin Mill (Case D), the Gotta Go (Case J), and the HW Warp Speeder (Case M). It's almost certain that some of you might rank the next items differently, but we thought we'd give you our perspective on the topic. But feel free to let us know which one of this year's Treasure Hunts was your favorite!

10. Duck N'Roll

When we first saw the golden chrome rubber duck on wheels, we thought it was quite silly. But the Duck N' Roll that came up with Case G grew on us since, and we even got one for our collection at home. This is the kind of vehicle you'd expect to see in a cartoon series like Wacky Racers from back in the day, and you'll be excited to see the TH logo in the pupils of its eyes.

You might be surprised to learn that Ryu Asada was in charge of the design of this casting. It was introduced in 2020, and there are already four variations of it to look for. And it's the 10th coolest Treasure Hunt for 2022, at least from our point of view.

10 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 2022
Photo: Ministry of Diecast

9. Quick Bite

The Quick Bite food truck is ninth on our list, and it's no wonder that Ryu Asada designed this as well. This is one of the oldest castings on our list today, as it has been around since 1984! There are over 50 variations of it going around, and most of them have different names, including Tropicool, Grillionaire, or the Good Humor Truck.

Hot Wheels collectors never get old

The 2022 Quick Bite Treasure Hunt is your go-to place for fantasy hot dogs, and it's fun to see that the side menu mentions the other castings included in the Fast Foodie series. A new variation of this casting is coming out in 2023, and this one seems to exclusively sell chicken-based products.

8. Muscle and Blown

Next up, it's the Muscle and Blown casting that draws inspiration from the Dodge Viper. This fantasy drift car doesn't look half bad, so it makes it to P8 on our list. Somehow, this is the only Treasure Hunt we haven't managed to find anywhere this year, but we've seen other people finding two or three of them in the past few months.

Dmitriy Shakhmatov designed this casting for its 2021 release, and it reveals Mattel's strategy of releasing more exciting fantasy cars in an attempt to appeal to a broader audience. We wouldn't mind seeing a full-blown version of this casting drifting around the racetrack, and that's not a completely wild idea to think of, given Mattel's history.

10 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 2022
Photo: Ministry of Diecast

7. Drafnator

We came across the Drafnator by accident, inside a gas station, of all places. Even though this is a fantasy casting, you can tell right away that it was inspired by the NASCAR Truck series. The red and orange combo might be a bit too much for some collectors, and it also reminds us of the First Edition that came out in 2021. If you've got any Hot Wheels tracks at home, make sure you build the setup accordingly, as this thing probably enjoys taking left turns quite a bit. It's the last fantasy casting on our list today, and it takes a respectable P7 overall.

Long is the road from conception to completion

6. Morris Mini

The Hot Wheels Morris Mini has been around for over 20 years, and it was Phil Riehlman that made it look this nice. You'll notice his name on the top side of the doors, just over the HW 7 decal. Mattel has created about 50 variations of the Morris Mini, and this isn't the first time it has been featured in the Treasure Hunt series.

In 2019 it was even released as an STH item, so a full collection of these cars might not be cheap to get. As of now, we're not sure if the casting will be used in 2023 as well, as the last time that happened was back in 2010. Even though a lot of collectors seemed eager to get their hands on the 2022 TH Mini, it takes P6 on our list today.

5. '17 Jeep Wrangler

The Matte Orange Jeep Wrangler appeared in Case F for 2022 and had its BLOR wheels artificially covered in mud to showcase it being part of the Mud Studs Series. The same person that designed the aforementioned Mini worked his magic on this casting as well. And while we couldn't find the 2022 TH out in the wild, you might have noticed our 2018 Metalflake Green variation that we talked about in a recent story. Fun fact, Mattel has never used another wheel design for this vehicle other than the Beadlock Off-Road model. And the seventh iteration of the casting is coming up in 2023.

10 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 2022
Photo: Ministry of Diecast

4. ’98 Subaru Impreza 22B STI-Version

At this point, it started becoming difficult for us to rank the contestants. Ultimately, the '98 Subaru Impreza 22B STI-Version takes P4 on our list. The livery feels like the main drawback here, as the previous iterations were much cleaner looking with no side decals. To give you an idea of how successful this Ryu Asada casting has been so far, the Treasure Hunt model is the eighth iteration of the series. And a ninth model is coming up next as part of the Hot Wheels: Boulevard in 2023.

Continued innovation is the best way to beat the competition

3. ’71 Mustang Funny Car

The '71 Mustang Funny Car is the third-best Treasure Hunt model for 2022 from our point of view, even though it certainly had the potential of topping the ranks today. It appeared in the last case of the year, featuring a Metalflake Brown paint job and Chrome Gold five-spoke wheels. Larry Wood designed this casting for its 2004 debut, and you'll find over 20 variations of it on the market. Even though we like this one a lot, it feels a bit rough around the edges.

2. '87 Dodge D100

We found the '87 Dodge D100 in the same place as the Drafnator TH, which was quite a surprise. Sometimes you can go on for months without finding one of the special vehicles, and all of a sudden, there are two of them right in front of you. The D100 was featured in Case K this year, and it looks more than ready to take on the sandpit located in your backyard.

Mattel first introduced the casting in 2018, and Brendon Vetuskey was in charge of the design part of things. The only other variation of this truck that looks as nice is the Walmart-exclusive ZAMAC that came out in 2020 featuring the K&N livery.

10 Best Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Cars in 2022
Photo: Ministry of Diecast

1. '58 Impala

And we've made it to the top spot of our 2022 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt list. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but we feel that the '58 Impala is the best TH to be released by Mattel all year long! It all feels so special without overdoing it, and it could easily take center stage in a rap music video.

The skulls and Mexican-style decals on the car match the wheels, and one could even say that it looks better than certain other STH models we've seen in previous years. This Larry Wood design has been around since 2007, but Mattel hasn't used it in almost a decade now, so that adds to the excitement of it all. 2022 was quite a good year for Hot Wheels collectors, and we can't wait to see more of what 2023 has got to offer!

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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