How many Lotus Excels are left in New Zealand?
Super rare 1 in 212,494 on the road Built 1983-1990 British
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
A 2+2 coupe built from 1982 to 1992, developed from the Eclat. Lotus had been doing engineering work for Toyota, and the Excel used a Toyota gearbox, differential and other parts alongside Lotus's own 2.2 litre 16-valve engine, which made it more dependable than its predecessors.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1986: 5 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 2 |
| 1984 | 3 |
| 1985 | 4 |
| 1986 | 5 |
| 1987 | 5 |
| 1988 | 2 |
| 1990 | 1 |
What Super rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 22 still registered, the Lotus Excel is Super rare: the grade for cars with 5 to 24 left.
By how many are left it ranks 10th of the 15 Lotus models and equal 1,643rd 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.