Hot Wheels Sold 16 Super Treasure Hunt Models in 2018 to Celebrate 50 Years of Existence

The moment Hot Wheels introduced the concept of a Super Treasure Hunt, they created a whole new dimension of fun and games for collectors around the world. Every time you'll enter a store, you can't help but hope that an STH model is hiding in there somewhere.

If that store happens to have hundreds of cars on display, you might find yourself spending an hour or more looking through them all. Coming across your first STH is a special feeling, and quite addictive at the same time.

While these items all have various distinctive markings to set them apart from the base-level cars, it's always good to know what you're looking for. You'll browse faster through a big pile of castings if you're programmed to look for a particular kind of Porsche for instance.

The more time you spend hunting for Hot Wheels, the better you'll be at doing it. But now let's take a look at what Mattel came up with for the STH series back in 2018. This is our third throwback review so far, which means we've looked at 30 different cars up to this point.

One thing we'd like to point out is that 2018 was a special year for the diecast manufacturer, as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. With that in mind, collectors were surprised to see a total of 16 Super Treasure Hunt models that year, instead of just 15.

The 16th one was based on a Bone Shaker casting and is regarded as the Ultimate Chase car. It was slightly more difficult to come across, and people voted it as the sixth-best STH of the year.

Even so, you can get it for relatively cheap these days, so it might not have been all that successful after all. With any luck, you might be able to find the complete STH set, 1,200 of which were ever made. One seller on eBay is asking $900 for his and he's throwing in the Chase item as well.

2018 wasn't all that big on JDM STH cars, with just two models released throughout the year. The line-up also featured a Tooned casting, and three fantasy cars considering the Bone Shaker. And it all started with the Spectraflame Green Datsun 620.

The casting had been in use for almost five years at that point, and a spectacular Car Culture item had already been released back in 2016. The most expensive one we could find on eBay is attached on the side of a Short Card and is located in Australia. And the Buy Now price is set at $200. On the lower end of the spectrum, you'll still have to pay around $50 to get the Datsun 620.

Mix B for 2018 came along with the '68 Chevy Nova STH. This Spectraflame Purple collectible was almost identical to the standard release, which is never too good of a selling point. The wheel choice wasn't all that inspired, and all things considered, this is one of the cheapest Super Treasure Hunt cars you'll find on the market.

If you need a better suggestion for this nameplate, have a look at the 2013 Retro Entertainment: Beverly Hills Cop version. It has a similar price tag but at least there's a backstory to the whole thing.

We don't know about you, but we feel that the third car on our list today is one of the most amazing STH models ever made. The Porsche 934.5 made its debut in the Factory Fresh series back in 2017.

So it only took Mattel one year before upgrading it to the rank of Super Treasure Hunt. The Spectraflame Aqua body works so well with the white Real Riders Aero wheels, and the only downside to this item is that it still has a plastic base.

Adult collectors were happy to see a Car Culture version of it in 2020, and that used the same kind of rims. You'd better sit down before looking for the 934.5 STH on eBay, as most sellers are asking at least $100 for one. But some options are four times as expensive.

Case D for 2018 took collectors back to the United States with the 2015 Ford Mustang GT. Ryu Asada designed this casting too, and we haven't seen another version of it since 2020.

The 2018 STH Mustang GT was almost identical to the base model, so it was not quite the most popular vehicle to emerge out of a mainline case that year. So don't spend more on one than you ought to, $20 should be enough!

The last item we'll look at for the time being is the Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R that was hidden away in some of the E cases for 2019. This item was voted as the second most popular STH in the Lamley Awards, with almost twice as many votes as the Porsche 934.5.

There aren't as many listings of these cars on eBay for some reason. But they're all valued at less than $100. Still, for the average Hot Wheels collector, the base model might have looked just as nice. We'll be back with more 2018 Super Treasure Hunt cars in part 2 of this story!