When discussing luxury cars, there is some mention of the phrase 'curbside appeal,' which has nothing whatsoever to do with performance, build-quality and finishing details. Simply put, this has everything to do with any given car’s potential to stop pedestrians in their tracks and leave them gaping.

Some cars, like the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster or the Bugatti Veyron, can even become traffic hazards by turning the heads of drivers who should otherwise be occupied with operating their own vehicles. Oftentimes, this is a price-above-rubies quality for the owners of such cars. After all, part of the fun of driving, for yet another example, a Ferrari Enzo is the attention it draws.

Having said that, there is another kind of luxury drive unlikely to call such attention to itself, especially when it comes to vintage offerings. Take for example the recent discovery of the abandoned 1937 Bugatti in Great Britain. The public at large would not know this car from any other vintage offering and it is unlikely to cause a commotion.

One might reasonably argue that this car is not even in the same league as the contemporary drives mentioned above. That is to say, it is so far ahead of its descendants that any comparison between them would be not unlike comparing Damien Hirsch's lurid skull with the timeless elegance of the Mona Lisa.