How many Pontiac Chieftains are left in New Zealand?
Super rare 1 in 222,613 on the road Built 1949-1958 American
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
Pontiac's first all-new car after the war, launched for 1949 and built until 1958. Early ones had straight six or straight eight side-valve engines; a modern V8 arrived for 1955. On the bonnet sat an amber Indian chief's head that lit up with the headlamps.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1952: 4 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 1 |
| 1950 | 3 |
| 1951 | 3 |
| 1952 | 4 |
| 1955 | 4 |
| 1956 | 3 |
| 1957 | 2 |
| 1958 | 1 |
What Super rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 21 still registered, the Pontiac Chieftain is Super rare: the grade for cars with 5 to 24 left.
By how many are left it ranks 13th of the 29 Pontiac models and equal 1,663rd 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.