MaxDaemon

<stolen from the C5 section - thanks guys!>

I realize this has probably been posted here over and over, but I've never seen it, and have a feeling lots of new people like me haven't either. Spring's coming - get your windows down and your hands out!

</plagiarize mode on>

Save the wave

Have you ever wondered where the slogan, "Save The Wave" came from and what it means? Below is an article that first appeared in the August/September 1969 issue of Corvette News. The article was entitled "Save The Wave". Remember, this article was written and published in 1969!

SAVE THE WAVE
Ever since Corvette No. 00001 first met Corvette No. 00002 on the road, their drivers saluted each other with waves. Today, unfortunately, this grand and glorious tradition is wavering.

There's one item of standard equipment that comes as a pleasant surprise to every new Corvette owner. It's an instant wave of recognition he or she recieves when he meets one of their ilks on the road. The first time it happens, they will be taken by surprise. He immediately thinks:

He has been mistaken for Sterling Moss.
His lights are on.
He has just been given the bird.
Soon, however, the new Vette owner anticipates, indeed even relishes, encountering other Vettes as he drives. During this period, he experiments with his waves, running the gamut from the gaping "yoo hoo" to the ultra cool "two finger flip." He perfects his timing, making sure he affects neither a too-early wave, nor the jaded "oh brother" too-late variety. Determined not to be one upped, he even developes a defense mechanism for non wavers, usually settling on the "Wave"? My hand was just on the way to scratch my head" approach. (This is especially useful when you're not driving your Vette, but you forget, and like a dummy, you wave anyway.)

Indeed, one of the most perplexing problems facing a would-be waver is what to do when driving next to a fellow Vette owner. Passing him going in opposite directions is one thing. Greetings are exchanged, and that's that. But what happens when you pull up next to a guy at a light, wave, nod, smile and then pull up to him at the next light, a block later? Wave again? Nod bashfully? Grin self-consciously? Ignore him? Or take the chicken's way out and turn down the next side street? If you're expecting an answer, you won't find it here. Sad to say, some questions don't have any.

Girl-type Corvette drivers also have a unique problem: to wave or not to wave. This miss or misses who borrows her man's Corvette for the first time is immediately faced with this quandary. Should she wave first and look overly friendly, or ignore the wave and look like a snob? Most ladies who drive their own Vettes prefer to suffer the latter rather than take a chance of being misread. For this reason, all girls are excused for occasionally failing to return a well-meaning wave. So are new owners who are still learning the ropes.

There is no excuse, however, for a guy who refuses to return the wave, not out of ignorance, but of arrogance or apathy. While this type of behavior is the exception to the rule, it seems a few owners of newer models refuse to recognize anything older than theirs, while some others simply won't wave, period. Boo on them. These ding-a-lings don't seem to realize that they are helping to squash a tradition that had its beginnings back when most of us were still driving tootsietoys.

</plagiarize mode off>

Have a great Spring!

tony58

On the road I've had good luck with most vette owners waving here in Tennessee. With that said I go to several cruise-ins each week during the season.One I go to is in a little Po Dunk town in Middle Tn.For some reason this cruise-in draws a bunch of C6's and C7's.These stuck up SOB'S ignore me like I'm not there.So now,if I'm running late and there is no where else to park except there---I LEAVE---

aDigitalPhantom

I see so few other Corvettes on the road here that I don't think about it until after I passed them.

Dt86

When I'm out going for a cruise I look for other vettes and wave. Sometimes they do sometimes they don't, depending on the myriad of circumstances. If I just catch one out of the corner of my eye and see them wave, but I don't have time to since they already passed I feel like an a$$. Regardless of bank account size and social class it is supposed to be a tradition. If you're too good for keeping with the tradition associated with your car, well you aren't hurting my feelings any. I just think of you as much as I think of the toilet paper I wipe my **** with. Which isn't much...

MaxDaemon

Well, I plan to train myself into The Wave this summer. If I fail it won't be for lack of trying!

shootnstarz

I do most every chance and it does seem the newer folks don't bother. I can only guess they don't know what a C-4 is or they only associate with their own.

I did have a young guy in a C6, probably Navy, with a lady pretty much side by side yesterday for several miles, just waved and nodded at first recognition. Turns out we were going to the same place on Pensacola Beach.

Rick

FOURSPEEDVETTE

It's snowing fairly good here today in Pittsburgh and I was out with my trusty new Subaru Legacy all wheel drive. Fantastic car! I got waves from two other Subaru drivers on a few heavily snow covered roads. You just can't get these Subaru's stuck! Subaru owners seem to have a cult following and now I see they too have a "wave" of their own. It was just as cool as waving at other Corvette owners when I'm in my Vette!

Vetterin

Over the years it has become pretty obvious to me that the older the Vette, the more likely the owner is to wave. This seems especially true of C4 and older owners with some C5 owners on the fence. C6 and up...................forget about it.........they are in a world of their own.

pologreen1

Waving is a generational thing as I see it. Also remember kids these days are selfish and preoccupied with everything but another human being. As for the new cars / owners, probably not buying them because they are a "corvette" but because it's a corvette which offers performance and styling. Nothing to do with clubs or reasons behind their decisions.

aDigitalPhantom

I saw a C6 while driving my C4 earlier today. I actually remembered wave, but was ignored.

HlhnEast

As FourSpeed noted, lots of different car owners with a similar marque or model will wave at each other, hence the Vette wave, the Jeep wave or even the Subaru wave, on and on. Which ever its a common thing to wave at a "brother".

Never bothers me to not get a wave back. A lot of time I see a wave too late to respond. Traffic, weather and other distractions will dictate this. I also agree with Gavin, sometimes they are too wrapped up in themselves to notice anyone else!

aDigitalPhantom

Though it was not obvious it was intended as a joke that I actually remembered to wave, but nothing about the other car.

ghoastrider1

The wave is a funny thing. I have been doing it since 1966. Back then drivers were more likely to wave. It was a smaller club back then of course. I am a Semi driver, still wave at Vettes. I get some really funny looks.

86C4Z51

Motorcyclists wave as well, except if you're riding a rice rocket many times the H-D riders won't wave. But many do.

I always wave at other Corvettes, unless wifey is with me and the other car is piloted by a female. *shrug*

MyOtherCar

How is it known that the owner or Corvette serial number 00001 met an oncoming car that was Corvette serial number 00002?