How many Volkswagen Beach Buggy are left in New Zealand?
Rare 1 in 59,176 on the road Built 1955-1990 Sold new in New Zealand
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
A fibreglass open body bolted to a shortened Beetle floorpan, with the air-cooled engine exposed at the back. Bruce Meyers started the craze in California in 1964 with his Meyers Manx, and countless small firms and home builders around the world copied the idea through the 1960s and 1970s.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1960: 5 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1955 | 3 |
| 1956 | 2 |
| 1957 | 1 |
| 1958 | 4 |
| 1959 | 2 |
| 1960 | 5 |
| 1961 | 4 |
| 1962 | 2 |
| 1963 | 1 |
| 1964 | 2 |
| 1965 | 3 |
| 1966 | 5 |
| 1967 | 2 |
| 1968 | 3 |
| 1969 | 1 |
| 1970 | 2 |
| 1971 | 1 |
| 1973 | 2 |
| 1975 | 1 |
| 1976 | 4 |
| 1977 | 2 |
| 1978 | 1 |
| 1979 | 4 |
| 1980 | 4 |
| 1981 | 2 |
| 1982 | 1 |
| 1983 | 3 |
| 1984 | 2 |
| 1985 | 2 |
| 1987 | 3 |
| 1988 | 2 |
| 1989 | 2 |
| 1990 | 1 |
What Rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 79 still registered, the Volkswagen Beach Buggy is Rare: the grade for cars with 25 to 174 left.
By how many are left it ranks 32nd of the 48 Volkswagen models and equal 1,129th 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.