Six Odd Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt Cars of 2010

I've covered several past Super Treasure Hunt series; the latest one took us back to 2011. Today, we're going farther backward in history as we'll examine Mattel's unique collectibles from 2010. Let me give you a few hints if you need an anchor to the past. Apple launched the iPhone 4 in June of that year. Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 Chart had Kesha's "Tik Tok" sitting in P1, years before the social media platform with the same name took the world by storm.

Hollywood was still putting out incredible movies at the time, including Inception, How to Train Your Dragon and one I discovered earlier this year The King's Speech. Michael Schumacher was still racing in F1, but Sebastian Vettel won the title for Red Bull Racing. Meanwhile, Vaughn Gittin JR won his first Formula Drift crown in the USA. Ken Block's Gymkhana 3 Part Two came out in September 2010 and was among the most viewed YouTube videos.

Tesla bought a new factory that same year and went public via an IPO on NASDAQ. Now that we're all settled in let's cut to the chase and see if the 2010 Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt series was any good. Right off the bat, things were a bit different back then. For one, there were only 12 STH models throughout the year, and Mattel upped the ante to 15 collectibles starting in 2011.

The same castings served for both TH and STH purposes; sometimes, they were hard to tell apart. Seeing fantasy cars in the STH line-up was still common back then. And there weren't any Japanese cars included here at the time. Part one of this story will discuss the year's first six collectibles.

Custom '53 Cadillac

The Custom '53 Cadillac was item 1/12 for the 2010 Super Treasure Hunt series. Larry Wood designed this casting, and it had just debuted in 2009. Mattel revealed five variations of it that year alone, alternating between wheels and paint jobs. It's worth pointing out that two of them had Real Riders 5-Spoke Rims, as they were part of the Holiday Rods series. In 2010, the Regular Treasure Hunt featured a Metallic Pink finish with 5-spoke wheels. The STH model felt slightly more special with a Spectraflame Magenta paint job and Deep Dish Real Riders instead.

I think the best part about this collectible is its price. You'll see it listed for anywhere between $16 and $40, but the Short Card version could cost as much as $60. If you can get it for less than $20, I'd say that's a good deal, at least if you don't treat it like an investment. You might want to look into having a complete Custom '53 Cadillac collection at home, as Mattel only released three more variations until 2019.

Chevroletor

The GM Chevroletor was the second Super Treasure Hunt of the year. It was a strange machine, the product of a Designer's Challenge from 2008. Mattel had people from outside the company playing with ideas for a new Hot Wheels vehicle, and 30 new castings appeared due to this competition. As you'd expect, a Chevrolet employee designed the Chevroletor casting. Upon its release, it quickly went through four variations, all sporting CM6 wheels, which you may know from the Speed Machines series. After one more appearance in 2009, this casting went up to TH and STH levels in 2010.

If the latter one didn't have Real Riders Exotic wheels instead of the entry-level OH5 design, you wouldn't have recognized its specialness. I'm a big fan of the RRE wheels, and one thing's for sure: there are worse-looking STH collectibles on the market. Just like with the Cadillac, $20 to $40 will get you this item, and you can probably purchase both the STH and the TH for less than $50. As for the fate of this casting in general, it was last seen in 2021. And there's no guarantee it will ever return, especially with all the new "realistic" fantasy cars from El Segundo.

Classic Packard

The Classic Packard is the third Super Treasure Hunt collectible on our list today. And it happens to be one of the oldest castings here. Larry Wood designed it for its 1983 Mainline debut when it featured a metal base and White Wall Basic Wheels. As you can probably tell, this is a replica of the 1930s Packard Eight luxury automobile. 2004, it was part of the RLC sELECTIONs series, with about 6,590 units coming out of the factory. Another RLC exclusive variation showed up the following year, and things kept improving starting in 2008.

Mattel created six iterations of this casting in just two years with Real Riders wheels. Shockingly, both of these designs are relatively inexpensive today, but let's see what the STH model says about that. The car looked great in Spectraflame Blue and had matching Deep Dish Real Riders wheels. But it won't cost an arm and leg, despite having a metal base. Worst case scenario, you'll need to pay $50 for the TH and the STH, but it all boils down to how good you are at negotiating. Mattel seems to have abandoned this casting, as its last appearance was in 2012 as part of the Boulevard series.

Ratbomb

The Ratbomb is not the kind of vehicle you'd expect to see in a series of rare, unique Hot Wheels cars. Greg Padginton designed this casting, which had only been around for a few years. But it got 15 minutes of fame in 2010 when it rose to Super Treasure Hunt status. You could barely tell the STH and TH variations apart, at least from certain angles. Saying this design wasn't successful would be an understatement.

I've seen people trying to get rid of it for $12 or less, and it's undoubtedly one of the least exciting Hot Wheels STH models. It's no wonder Mattel pulled it off the market in 2013. If you think of it, this is like a tooned version of the Bone Shaker casting, which is still an essential piece of the puzzle for the diecast manufacturer.

Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

People needed something new and exciting to forget about the Ratbomb disaster. And Mattel knew it couldn't go wrong with a Shelby. Larry Wood designed this casting for the 2007 New Models series, which looked weird due to the large wheels. Nine variations came out of the factory before the TH and STH release.

If you don't mind the wheels, the car almost looks fine in Spectraflame Dark Orange. The 5-spoke Mag-Style Design is infinitely better than any entry-level rim, and I guess it's not so bad once you get used to it. Prices for the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe range from $25 to $75, and rumor is that a new variation is coming in 2024.

Gangster Grin

The last Super Treasure Hunt we'll discuss today is the Gangster Grin, which shows how inventive Mattel's marketing department can get with naming these cars. Steve Grin designed this car while working at Ford, and this project is related to the Chevroletor. That's right, it's a byproduct of the Designers Challenge, and it, too, only lasted for a few years before the diecast manufacturer pulled the plug on the project. Six variations came to be before the 2010 TH and STH iterations. Despite the lack of realism, which doomed the collectible before it even hit the shelves, you can appreciate the Spectraflame Purple finish and MoonDisc wheels.

With $20 on your card, you can buy one of these items from most online vendors. Some might sell you one for $50, but that's going too far. If you're actually inspired by the Gangster Grin, as strange as that may sound when saying it out loud, you'll find several exciting variations for your collection. The most expensive one will require an investment of up to $250, as it was only available at the Mattel Employee Association Dinner Dance in 2010. I'll be back with part two of my STH review soon!