How many AC Bristols are left in New Zealand?
Unicorn 1 in 2,337,436 on the road Built 1957-1960 Sold new in New Zealand
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
An AC Ace fitted with Bristol's 2-litre straight six, an engine that traced back to the pre-war BMW 328. Light, pretty and quick, the Ace-Bristol did well in its class at Le Mans in the late 1950s, and the Ace was the car Carroll Shelby started from when he created the Cobra.
Still on the road, by model year
1 from 1957 and 1 from 1960.
What Unicorn means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 2 still registered, the AC Bristol is Unicorn: the grade for cars with fewer than 5 left.
By how many are left it ranks 2nd of the 2 AC models and equal 2,524th of all 2,903 cars in Spotto's catalogue.
The six grades: Common, 8,000 or more · Uncommon, 1,200 to 7,999 · Scarce, 175 to 1,199 · Rare, 25 to 174 · Super rare, 5 to 24 · Unicorn, fewer than 5.
Seen one?
Spotto grades every car on New Zealand roads by how many are still registered, down to the generation and the badge. Log the ones you spot, build a collection, and see who else has found one.