How many Datsun Violets are left in New Zealand?
Unicorn 1 in 4,674,872 on the road Built 1974 Sold new in New Zealand
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
A mid-size Datsun launched in 1973 to fill the gap between the Sunny and the Bluebird, sold abroad mostly as the 140J and 160J. The first version had swoopy fastback lines; the squarer second version from 1977 became a rally winner, taking the Safari Rally four years in a row from 1979.
Still on the road, by model year
1 from 1974.
What Unicorn means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 1 still registered, the Datsun Violet is Unicorn: the grade for cars with fewer than 5 left.
By how many are left it ranks 27th of the 27 Datsun models and equal 2,668th 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.