Can old petrol cause damage to petrol tanks?

Can old petrol cause damage to petrol tanks?
Yes ,it does damage after quite a few years. About 6 years ago I bought this GOGGOMOBIL T700 1959 MODEL , and it was in storage for about 20 years. The tank was still there,but when I took it out ,there wasnt any petrol left. there was 2 buckets of dry sediment and rubbish left .After a good cleanup,the bottom half of the tank had quite a few tiny holes which where beyond repair. Infact I had to make another tank inside the original so when you look from underneath ,you see the original tank.
I have another old car,a Hillman Minx 1946,but when I cleaned the tank,it was still solid and still using it.
I hope I explained well what I found in these lovely cars.

Thanks Frans.