Photos by Dean Larson and Jeff Bruss

Patina, age, or just plain rust. Ultimately it's all in the eye of the beholder, and the subject of patina has plenty of proponents and opponents. Having personal experience with plenty of rusty cars, I always challenge people to challenge the notion that every good car needs a nice coat of paint. There's just something about an imperfect automotive finish that works for me. The idea that you can drive the car without worrying about rock chips, or lean on the car and not worry about scratches. To me, you can always go back and paint a car, but a well-earned, sun-faded paint job is full of character that cannot be replaced. Or can it? To a degree, it certainly can, as more than a few of these cars wear a finish with some artificial oxidation.

In the images below, you'll find some notable rusty rides, including an original Bullitt Mustang, the freshly-rebuilt Chuckles Garage Old Smokey F1, some fresh rigs from WelderUp, and an EcoBoost V6 in a ’51 Ford truck.

Hate any of the cars below? Feel free to let us know in the comments section.