2003 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt Set Won't Cost an Arm and a Leg

In part one of this story, I took you down memory lane to when Myspace first came into the world. At one point, the Social Media platform had 300 million registered users. By 2019, it only got less than 10 million visitors a month. Meanwhile, Facebook/Meta is on top of the "food chain" alongside Google/Alphabet. We always need to reinvent ourselves and our work to thrive. That's why Mattel's Hot Wheels has reached such a legendary status among model cars/diecast manufacturers and collectors.

A new casting, series, idea, or event always comes from El Segundo, California. Some are bad, but others are brilliant enough to move the company forward. You can see how far these products have come by looking at today's Super Treasure Hunt series and comparing it to the 2003 line of cars. The number of collectors and scalpers alike is growing with each new year, and it will be interesting to see how many more years Mattel can dominate the market as they are doing now. But let's not talk politics and enjoy the tiny little vehicles that have the power to make us smile now and then.

I want to remind you that 2003 also brought the second installment of the Fast & Furious series, the only one that doesn't feature Vin Diesel. The world saw Lamborghini's new Gallardo "entry-level" supercar that same year. And I'll give you one more bit of exciting information. 2003 was Jos Verstappen's final year in Formula 1, while his son, Max, was only six.

Browsing through the 2003 Treasure Hunt series listings, you might be surprised to see the complete set of 12 cars going for about $100. That's probably the cheapest one I've seen so far, but there are several reasons for it. The poor choice of liveries and color combos is one of them, but I'll discuss another shortly.

Midnight Otto

The Midnight Otto debuted in the 2002 First Editions series. Despite being an unlicensed casting, you can still see the resemblance to a 1930s hot rod sedan. So it's still way better than fantasy castings like The Carbonator or The Dessert Drifter, to name just a few. The first 26 iterations of the Midnight Otto featured a metal base before the 2009 retooling change.

In 2002, Mattel fitted Real Riders wheels to this thing, and the Cruisin' America: Hot Rods edition was pretty exciting in gold and brown. For once, I'm not disappointed with the paint scheme of the Treasure Hunt variation. The red and black combo is much better than most flame variations, and you can genuinely enjoy the Real Riders wheels as they're in plain sight.

Paying less than $10 for it sounds like a no-brainer and might even lead to a newly-found obsession for some. With so many variations rolling on Real Riders wheels, don't expect all of them to be so cheap.

Riley & Scott MK III

Alongside the Porsche 959, the Riley & Scott MK III is one of my favorites in the 2003 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt collection. I'm a massive fan of race cars, and this one also reminds me of my love for the Ferrari 333 SP. Dave Weise designed this casting, and Mattel used it between 2001 and 2010.

It's relatively rare, as there are only 11 iterations to look for. Only two have ever had RR wheels, and both appeared in 2003. The TH model was the first, featuring a spectacular gold, white and blue livery. Although you might not expect to see flame decals on a race car like this, it's not entirely out of context.

The best part is that a $15 budget will get you a mint-condition model. And if you play your cards right, you could have the whole collection for less than $150. Mattel should come up with more similarly-themed cars shortly.

'57 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham

The '57 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was the ninth item in the 2003 TH line-up, and it's another casting that Mattel no longer uses. It was only available between 2002 and 2016, with a total output of only 15 variations. The diecast manufacturer experimented with eight wheel variations on this casting, including the 6-Spoke Bling model, Moon Disc design, and Preferred Series Real Riders rims.

The strange part is that the 2003 Treasure Hunt didn't use the latter-mentioned ones as you would expect. Instead, it featured the same wheel design we later see in the Speed Machines series: the Co-Molded 5-Spoke rims. I don't know how hardcore enthusiasts reacted to this situation 20 years ago, but it would be a big red flag in today's environment.

The Metalflake Champagne livery isn't very helpful either, and I'd vote this one of the least exciting designs of 2003. If you insist on having it, at least don't fall for the "This is super rare, so you should pay me $60 for it" trap.

Muscle Tone

The Muscle Tone is one of those Hot Wheels fantasy castings you can't put your finger on. It's supposed to be a mix between a muscle car and a tuner car, and it reminds me of a Mercedes-Benz SL and a Ford Mustang SN95 simultaneously.

The Muscle Tone isn't an ugly casting per se, but adult collectors will mostly be reluctant to buy non-licensed items for their collection. The 2003 Treasure Hunt iteration was the only one to roll on RR wheels; the gold finish matched the yellow-tinted windows and flames. Still, plenty of sellers on eBay are trying to get rid of their Muscle Tone TH for $5 or less.

So if you decide to buy one, don't expect to profit from it ten years from now. But you can expect to see it in the 2024 Batman series if you like that fantasy universe.

Super Tsunami

Now, this is an interesting one. If someone calls you asking whether you'd like a Hot Wheels Super Tsunami, think twice before you pass on the offer. Despite the name, this is not simply a made-up vehicle. Well, at least that's true for most of it. It looks like the love child of a Toyota Supra and a Mitsubishi Eclipse, producing mixed feelings.

Weird nose swaps are not unheard of in Japan, and I've seen some pretty crazy cars in the drift scene in the past ten years. But I've never seen a combo such as this one. It's not entirely horrendous, but it could be better than the 2013 Supra casting. The Pearl Olive Green and Black color combo looked decent enough on the 2003 Treasure Hunt model.

But the CM5 wheels weren't exactly ideal. I advise you to stick to a $5 budget if you need this collectible in your life. Otherwise, look at a modern Car Culture or Boulevard release for more quality.

1971 Plymouth GTX

The last Treasure Hunt vehicle for 2003 was the 1971 Plymouth GTX. If it looks familiar, you probably just read my 2005 Treasure Hunt review, as it was also part of that collection. An interesting thing happened with the 2003 release, though. There were two color variations: one featured a Metallic Red and Black finish, the other a Silver look.

Both items used CM5 wheels and similar flame-centered liveries. I've found plenty of listings for the red one, but I can't say the same about the latter. Either way, if you're a fan of this casting, you should look at a few more exciting variations.

It's a shame Mattel decided to phase it out after the 2007 Mystery Cars iteration. I'll be back soon with my take on the 2002 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt collection. We've only got a few more series to look at before we finish it all.