How many Lotus Elans are left in New Zealand?
Rare 1 in 55,653 on the road Built 1963-1997 Sold new in New Zealand
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
The small Lotus that set the standard for handling. Launched in 1962 with a steel backbone chassis, fibreglass body and twin-cam engine, it weighed very little and steered beautifully, and Mazda studied it closely when designing the MX-5. The name returned from 1989 to 1995 on a front-wheel-drive roadster with an Isuzu engine.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1968: 12 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 1 |
| 1964 | 2 |
| 1965 | 2 |
| 1966 | 5 |
| 1967 | 5 |
| 1968 | 12 |
| 1969 | 12 |
| 1970 | 8 |
| 1971 | 6 |
| 1972 | 7 |
| 1973 | 9 |
| 1974 | 2 |
| 1989 | 1 |
| 1990 | 3 |
| 1991 | 3 |
| 1992 | 4 |
| 1995 | 1 |
| 1997 | 1 |
By badge
The versions the register records, most numerous first.
| Which one | Built | Left | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | 6 | Rare |
What Rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 84 still registered, the Lotus Elan is Rare: the grade for cars with 25 to 174 left.
By how many are left it ranks 3rd of the 15 Lotus models and equal 1,108th 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.