How many Buick Specials are left in New Zealand?
Rare 1 in 35,416 on the road Built 1936-1969 American
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
Buick's entry-level car. From 1936 to 1958 it was the smallest of the big straight-eight and V8 Buicks. In 1961 the name moved to a new compact that introduced an all-aluminium V8 and, a year later, Buick's V6, an engine family that carried on into the 2000s.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1956: 24 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1936 | 2 |
| 1937 | 18 |
| 1938 | 21 |
| 1939 | 13 |
| 1940 | 2 |
| 1941 | 2 |
| 1946 | 1 |
| 1947 | 1 |
| 1950 | 5 |
| 1951 | 2 |
| 1952 | 1 |
| 1953 | 3 |
| 1954 | 3 |
| 1955 | 7 |
| 1956 | 24 |
| 1957 | 14 |
| 1958 | 6 |
| 1963 | 1 |
| 1965 | 2 |
| 1966 | 2 |
| 1969 | 1 |
What Rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 132 still registered, the Buick Special is Rare: the grade for cars with 25 to 174 left.
By how many are left it ranks 1st of the 24 Buick models and equal 962nd 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.