How many Mercedes-Benz 450SEL6.9 are left in New Zealand?
Unicorn 1 in 2,337,436 on the road Built 1978-1979 Sold new in New Zealand
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
Mercedes' flagship of the late 1970s: the S-Class with a 6.9-litre V8 developed from the engine of the 600 limousine, and a self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension in place of steel springs. It looked much like any other W116, which was the point. One served as the camera car for Claude Lelouch's Paris dash film C'était un rendez-vous.
Still on the road, by model year
1 from 1978 and 1 from 1979.
What Unicorn means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 2 still registered, the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL6.9 is Unicorn: the grade for cars with fewer than 5 left.
By how many are left it ranks 101st of the 102 Mercedes-Benz 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.