Bad gasoline in vintage cars?

The Rover P6 had driven very little and did not start anymore. The battery was far too weak and a car was placed next to it to give starting aid. The engine started with difficulty. A glance at the gas meter was sufficient.

There was not much juice left in the tank. How old was that gas, by the way? High time to go to the pump and mix with a fresh load. There the car started badly again but eventually it was possible to drive away. It was raining and the windshield wipers had to be on. The windshield began to fog up and the blower was also turned on. The car started to run a bit worse again. Three cylinders. That didn't make a person happy with the weather. That meant that a reverse had to be made. Back home and getting more fresh gas the next day was the idea. While driving I realized that the car started so badly with the purchase that the old owner arrived almost two hours later. I had then replaced the rotor and the distributor cap and from that moment the car in combination with a sports ignition coil and electronic ignition had been trouble-free. No 1000 kilometers had been driven since that time, but it was more than 4 years ago. You guessed it. After the spare rotor and the distributor cap were mounted, the problem was solved. It had nothing to do with outdated gasoline.