17 Years of Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt: Who Is the King?

But it will be a neverending battle. Thousands of new variations come out each year, and think about the storage space, too! But that's beside my point for today. The best advice I can give if you plan on starting a new collection is to focus on specific castings or series you enjoy most. Some people choose the RLC path, as they only want rare items that can increase value over time.

Others will only buy collectibles from the Premium Car Culture series, and so on. I am again diving into the Super Treasure Hunt series but with a different viewpoint. The "Treasure Hunt" concept has been around since 1995. However, the STH model debuted in 2007. At first, Mattel released 12 of these each year but upped the ante to 15 starting in 2011. Suppose you do the math; that adds up to 243 rare collectibles until the end of the 2023 series. As noted in some of my previous stories, these items don't always come cheap.

Some will require a minimum investment of around $20, but you can quickly get up to hundreds and hundreds of dollars apiece. But that's also beside the point for now. I was more interested to learn which car manufacturer has had the most STH replicas since 2007, although I had a good hunch about the answer. I've counted about 18 brands with just one STH item each. BMW, Cadillac, and Tesla are tied with two Super Treasure Hunts under their names. I won't be going through all of these now, but instead, I'll focus on the Top 5 best-represented brands in the series.

5. Toyota/Honda: Seven Super Treasure Hunts

Toyota and Honda are tied for fifth place with seven STH items each. The latter was the first to appear in the Super Treasure Hunt series, with the Spectraflame Blue, AEM-themed S2000, in 2012. I've seen someone listing the Short Card version of this for $725, while the cheaper options are in the $150 area. Both generations of the NSX followed suit with 2016 and 2017 releases.

But the most predominant Honda STH model is the Civic, with three items between 2019 and 2022. The CR-X was caught in the middle with a 2020 reveal. This is also one of the least successful items on this list, and it's no wonder you can get it for as low as $44.

Over in the Toyota camp, the '10 Tundra opened up a new world of possibilities for this brand with its 2013 debut. Even so, it scores almost as low as the CR-X, as even the more expensive ones will cost at most $50. The Toyota 2000 GT completely overshadowed the Tundra later that year, featuring a clean Spectraflame Red finish and black 10-spoke Real Riders wheels.

But this is still a relatively affordable Super, with prices rarely surpassing the $80 mark. Three Toyota STH collectibles showed up in 2015, and you'd be right if you thought the MK IV Supra was the most valuable one. But even this pales compared to the current market value of the brand-new '82 Supra STH. Per my previous Toyota-focused story, the Short Card version will take almost $400 out of your pocket.

4. Dodge: 12 Super Treasure Hunts

An American manufacturer takes P4 on this list, with 12 Super Treasure Hunt variants throughout the years. It all started in 2008 with the Dodge Challenger Funny Car, which featured one of the least exciting liveries on this list. You can pick one up for less than $30, which is sad yet exciting at the same time. The upcoming Viper looked infinitely better with a Spectraflame Orange finish and 5-Spoke Mag-Style Real Riders.

It's slightly more expensive at $35 to $65 apiece. 2012 was the best year for Dodge in the STH series, adding up to 20% of that year's line-up. Brendon Vetuskey's '18 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon reached Super Treasure Hunt status in 2019 and 2020, which isn't as common as you'd think. The latter model, which featured a Spectraflame Yellow finish, can go for as much as $300 if we're talking about the Short Card version.

3. Nissan: 13 Super Treasure Hunts

Believe it or not, a Japanese manufacturer has secured P3 on this list. While Honda and Toyota are down in P5, Mazda wasn't far behind with five STH releases. Mitsubishi only had one, and Subaru was nowhere to be seen. But it's Nissan that leads the JDM effort for now, with 13 secret items, if you include the Datsun models, too. Interestingly enough, Mattel featured the Japanese manufacturer in the first series of Supers in 2007. The R32 GT-R had a two-tone Spectraflame Copper/Metallic Silver paint job and 6-Spoke Bling wheels.

Even the cheaper short card models can sell for about $280, with some listings at $650. Did you expect anything else from a Godzilla replica? Nissan appeared in the STH series only three more items until 2017, but all that was about to change. We've seen at least one of these cars each year starting in 2018.

The market value of some of these is insane: five can cost over $200 apiece. An additional four will rarely sell for less than $100. Given the option, I would personally go for the 2020 STH version of the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32), which may be due to my affinity for the actual car. But some hardcore collectors might tell you it's all about the old Datsuns!

2. Ford: 36 Super Treasure Hunts

As I started counting STH collectibles, I was eager to find out if Ford could keep up with Chevrolet in this game. In 17 years, Mattel created 36 Super Treasure Hunt variations of Ford models, an average of a little over two cars per year. While Nissan had a spot on the 2007 line-up, Ford didn't get that chance. Its first STH appearance happened in 2008, with a Spectraflame Gold Mustang GT, which is now worth around $100. Three more Ford collectibles showed up in 2009, and another four in 2010.

But the most impressive year for the Dearborn-based manufacturer in STH history occurred in 2013 as Mattel used the following castings: the '72 Ford Gran Torino Sport, the '73 Ford Falcon XB, the '10 Ford Shelby GT500 Supersnake, the '07 Ford Mustang, and the '72 Ford Ranchero. Talk about a good year! Except for the 2007 absence, Ford has been on the STH grid every year.

And the latest secret model was the '69 Shelby GT-500. Prices for this vary between $45 and $95, so there are other more expensive models to look for. If that's what you're looking for, search for the Gulf-themed GT40 (2020), the '69 Ford Mustang Boss 302 (2015), and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (2021). You can end up spending more than $800 on these three alone!

1. Chevrolet: 52 Super Treasure Hunts

At last, behold the King of the Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt series. Chevrolet has had 52 rare variations so far, and it's perfectly understandable. After all, the Custom Camaro was the first Hot Wheels car back in 1968. Do the math, and you'll get an average of more than three Chevy replicas per year for the STH line-up. The '69 Camaro Z28 was the third-ever official Super Treasure Hunt item, and it's almost sad that Mattel opted for a 'Tooned model to make this move. The Corvette C6R and Custom '69 Chevy came out in 2007, too, but neither one was extraordinary.

But Mattel made amends in 2008 with the regular '69 Camaro, which was perfect. Judging by its medium market value today, you wouldn't think that. Still, you'll see at least four Chevrolet castings listed at over $200 on eBay today. The '55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser is one of them, which I've spotted with an asking price of $500. Even the '83 Chevy Silverado is about as expensive, for some strange reason.

There are plenty of better Chevy STH items to get, and I'd love a shot at either the '67 Camaro (2017) or the 2020 Corvette (2022). At this point, I'm scared to even think how much the entire Chevrolet STH collection would cost. But I will find the courage to dive into the topic in a future story, so stick around if you want to find out.