Collector car API reference.

Query the collector-car market like a structured archive. Build with actual hammer prices from completed auctions, active listings, and bid history - delivered through one REST API and MCP server.

Get API key Start integration

Base URLhttps://api.oldcarsdata.com

GET /auctions/live?sort=ending&direction=asc

400k+
Completed sales: 14
Live auction sources: 19
Auction sources

Quick start

First useful query in three moves.

01
Create an account
Start with a free API key from your account dashboard. No card required to explore the data.
02
Query sales or live inventory
Filter completed results or live auction beta listings by make, model, year, source, and more.
03
Connect an agent
Use the MCP server to give Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT direct access to the same market data.

Rate limits

250 requests per minute.

REST and MCP requests share a rolling 60-second burst limit. The limit is applied per API key, per account for OAuth, and per IP address on public endpoints. This is separate from your plan's monthly query quota.

X-BurstRateLimit-Limit: Requests allowed in 60 seconds
X-BurstRateLimit-Remaining: Requests left in the window
X-BurstRateLimit-Reset: Unix timestamp when capacity becomes available
Retry-After: Seconds to wait; returned with HTTP 429

Public make/model lookups and MCP discovery tools do not consume your monthly query quota, but they do count toward the per-minute limit. When you receive 429, wait for Retry-After seconds before retrying.

Reference map