“See Where They Rust” is a series and category where we feature listings that do a particularly good job displaying where certain models tend to suffer from rust. We love looking for rust-free cars, but we have learned a ton about how to inspect the dry cars from looking at photos of heavily rusted models. Obviously floors and rocker panels are always at risk, but every model has different special areas where they corrode. We hope that this series is informative and helpful when you are verifying the claims of sellers and their “99% rust free” cars. -BaT
This 1971 Porsche 911T (chassis 9111100508) is in what the seller describes as horrible condition, rust having permeated nearly every possible critical structure and quite a few less important ones as well. We’ve featured a good handful of See Where They Rust longhood 911’s, but really this one appears to be perhaps the worst of the bunch. Find it here on eBay in Ono, Pennsylvania for $4,700 OBO.
Up front we can see that virtually all exterior sheet metal below the hood has long since turned to dust, while moving around to the sides it’s clear that sills and lower rockers have suffered the same fate.
Heavy rust beginning at the windshield base and top leading edges of the front fenders has worked its way downwards and gutted much of the supporting structure for A-pillars and door hinges, while doors themselves show heavy corrosion throughout though especially along their bottoms.
Inside, only a lacey vestige of floorpan remains, to the extent that we’re seriously impressed that the rest of the car hasn’t collapsed into a heap by this point. Rust has even crept onto the gauge cluster and dash structure, and underneath the pad we imagine its even worse where it meets the cowl.
Up front underneath the hood we can see that the front firewall and inner fenders have virtually disintegrated. Identifying one usable part is a challenge—the steering column might be salvageable.
Relative to the rest of the car, the engine compartment is relatively untouched by serious rot, though that isn’t to say it’s completely unaffected—note rust through on the driver’s side near where the chassis hoop meets the inner fender on the driver’s side. Additionally, the rear bulkhead has seen better days and suspension points are almost certainly in a very bad state as well.
Even as a parts vehicle this one’s value is probably negligible, but as a demonstration for potential buyers of similar, less rotted cars it could serve as a good lesson on where to look for heavy corrosion—namely everywhere.