I've had a similar experience, but only once.
My wife and I sometimes do a Monday evening ride that includes a group of riders who, because we are old and slow, generally ignore us. After we acquired our new Santana Noventa tandem, complete with a hydraulic rear disc brake and shadeshifter paint, I drove up to the Monday night ride with our spiffy new tandem on the roof rack. When I opened the car door, I noticed probably 10 of the fast guys standing in a semi-circle and looking up at our bike. Nobody said a single word, they just drifted off.
It was funny.