Six Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt Cars of 2009

In 2009, I was still a freshman, thinking I'd become a stock broker. I attended my first drift event and was getting used to living in a city with over two million people after spending my life in a small community of only 20,000. It's wild to think of how long ago 2009 happened and that we're closer to the year 2035. If you need some information to anchor yourself into the past, here it goes.

The Black Eyed Peas released their "Boom Boom Pow" hit, while Lady Gaga introduced us to "Poker Face." The biggest news in music that year brought sorrow for millions of people as Michael Jackson died at age 50. People started using Bitcoin as a form of currency. Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States. NASA launched the Kepler telescope into Earth's orbit to look for exoplanets, Microsoft released Windows 7, and gamers worldwide got their first taste of League of Legends.

And the world of Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt collectibles was different compared to nowadays. In today's story, I'll discuss the first six items that Mattel released in this series, and you'll probably like at least two of them if you have similar preferences to me.

Ford Mustang

The first Super Treasure Hunt item for 2009 was the '65 Mustang convertible. At this point, I should point out that there were no JDM cars in the 2009 series, as Mattel focused more on American vehicles at the time. Larry Wood designed this casting for its 1984 Mainline debut when even regular Hot Wheels still had a metal base. A complete collection of this Mustang will require over 90 items, some of which can cost over $100 apiece.

In 2009, the '65 Mustang came out in almost identical variations: the regular TH and the special STH. The first featured a Dark Red finish and 5-Spoke wheels, while the latter boasted a Spectraflame Red paint job and Real Riders wheels. I think that the Pearl White interior was an unfortunate choice for this casting, as it made it look cheap and outdated. Even so, it's still one of the better items in part one of our 2009 STH story, at least when you compare it to some of the fantasy cars in the line-up. Unsurprisingly, this collectible isn't very expensive to get these days, with prices ranging between $30 to $65 on eBay.

'57 Plymouth Fury

The '57 Plymouth Fury is one of the highlights of this old series. You can tell that even though it's a replica of an older car, it's a more modern casting. Larry Wood designed it for its 2005 Real Riders series debut, which looked fantastic in Metallic Yellow with a white roof and flames running down the sides. The packaging was equally as excellent, showing you the many changes Mattel has gone through over all these years.

2009 brought forth the fourth and fifth iteration of the casting, replicas of Larry's personal Plymouth Belvedere. The Spectraflame shade of orange was much better than the metallic one, and the 5-Spoke Mag-Style Real Riders were there to complete the look. More often than not, the '57 Plymouth Fury will cost about the same as the Mustang mentioned above. But a few Short Card variations can cost around $95. If you plan on setting them loose, the card size won't matter anyway, so try finding the best offer on the market.

Bad Bagger

I'm not usually a fan of Hot Wheels motorcycles, but there are exceptions. And the Bad Bagger is undoubtedly one of them. Even though this is an unlicensed design, it looks like a custom cruiser, and that's fine by me. I'll not likely ride a bike like this anytime soon, but I watched Orange County Choppers with my dad when I was growing up, and they're pretty cool. This is another Larry Wood-designed casting, and it made its debut in 2007 with the Classic 3 series. Mattel released 15 variations of the Bad Bagger until 2021, and we haven't seen it since.

They all feature a metal base and MC3 wheels, except for the 2009 Super Treasure Hunt. That one is rolling on Real Riders MC5 wheels as it should, and it's also one of several iterations to sport a Spectraflame finish. You don't have to worry about crazy market prices, as even the most expensive items are in the $40 or less range.

Fire Eater

Fire engines are a common thing in the real world, so why wouldn't it be the same at a Hot Wheels level? Mattel used the Old Number 5.5 for the 2010 Super Treasure Hunt series, but I'd much rather have the Fire Eater on display. It is one of the oldest castings in the company's portfolio, debuting in 1977. You could pay as much as $350 for one of those early variations, but that won't necessarily stop the hardcore enthusiasts.

The Fire Eater has reached Treasure Hunt status twice in its lifespan, first in 2009 and then in 2013. But there's only one Super Treasure Hunt out there, which arrived at the same time as the first TH item. It's also the only iteration to have had a Spectraflame paint job and Real Riders wheels. With all that in mind, it's surprising that the most expensive offer on the market sits at $80. But you know how this works; there are plenty of $25 listings online, too.

’37 Ford

The fifth STH collectible for 2009 was the '37 Ford Woodie. As the name suggests, you won't see the whole car covered in the Spectraflame Teal paint due to the use of wooden panels. I'm not a big fan of this design, but older collectors who are nostalgic about the '30 will likely think otherwise. What doesn't surprise me is that Larry Wood designed this casting, too.

It debuted in the Ultra Hots series in 2006, and Mattel only made ten iterations before axing the project in 2014. Looking at the current market value of this collectible, you'll understand why the diecast manufacturer made that decision. Prices range from $20 to $50, and I guess there aren't many people willing to pay that much for an outdated design.

’34 Ford

The last collectible I'll discuss in part one of my 2009 Hot Wheels STH series review is similar to the one mentioned above. It's also a Ford from the '30s, but at least it's not ruined by the Wooden panel design. Like the '37 Ford, it's now a defunct casting, having served its purpose from 2004 to 2013. All of the 12 variations featured a metal base, and only three of them didn't have Real Riders wheels.

I'd say the best-looking one is the 2004 Auto Affinity: Special Delivery model in Spectraflame Blue, but other collectors could prefer iterations with more complex liveries. The black and red finish on the 2009 Super Treasure Hunt is almost painful to look at, but I can at least appreciate the White Wall Real Riders wheels. You'll need between $20 to $50 for the '34 Ford STH, and you might be tempted to buy the Gulf-themed '32 Ford instead.

But if you're keen on having the complete 2009 Super Treasure Hunt collection, there's only one thing to do: find the best offer on the market and go for it! Getting the entire set of 12 cars might help increase its value if you can store it correctly for the next 15 to 20 years.