Corvette Wave
/kôrˈvet wāv/
Verb
• HISTORICAL
1. The Corvette Wave is an integral part of the mystique and culture of the Corvette owner experience. Corvette owners who wave at fellow Corvette owners when they pass on the road, show a mark of recognition that you are among the elite group of intelligent people who are driving America's True Sports Car.
2. move one's hand to and fro in greeting or as a signal of mutual respect when driving a Corvette.
What is "The Wave" and "Save the Wave"?
From the August/September 1969 issue of Corvette News
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. WAVE WHEN YOU PASS ANOTHER CORVETTE!
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 receives when he meets one of their ilks on the road. The first time it happens, they will be taken by surprise. He immediately thinks:
1. He has been mistaken for Sterling Moss.
2. His lights are on.
3. 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 develops 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. SAVE THE WAVE!
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 "tootsie toys".
Wave "Rules"
By Dan Woomer, Lost Caravan Corvette Club, October 2003
The Corvette Wave is an integral part of the mystique and culture of the Corvette owner experience. Corvette owners who wave at fellow Corvette owners when they pass on the road, show a mark of recognition that you are among the elite group of intelligent people who are driving America's True Sports Car. And as a member of this elite group, you should be recognized for your poise and intelligence. So for those who don't know the five simple Corvette Wave rules, here they are:
1. There is no excuse for not waving at your fellow Corvette owner.
Although most Corvette owners have the class and understanding to accept when their wave is not returned, not waving is a serious breach of proper Corvette etiquette.
2. There isn't any rule about who waves first.
This is simple; if you see another Corvette, wave!
3. Rules 1 and 2 apply to both sexes.
As far as who starts the wave, it doesn't make a difference if you are a man or women. Rules 1 and 2 apply.
4. Any type of wave is okay.
Whether you shoot a big wave up through your open Vette top, out the window, or a quick salute with your hand on the steering wheel, any wave that can be seen by the other Corvette driver is okay. However, this does not include any style of jester that can be interpreted as obscene or insulting. Remember, Corvette owners are a class act; while someone might have been rude or stupid to you, try not to return the favor. (This is a tough rule not to break with all the stupid drivers who manage to get a driver's license.)
5. A late wave is better than no wave.
If you suddenly realize that a Corvette driver is passing and waving at you, get a wave off as soon as possible. The other Corvette driver may see your wave in their rear view mirror and realize that you where just a little late in getting your wave going. Although missing the timing of your wave is a "goof," getting off a wave that the other Corvette driver has a chance to see can acceptably cover this slip-up.
So you can see the underlying concept here is simple: Wave at your fellow Corvette owners, whoever they are, whenever you see them. This will show you are a person who understands the full measure and etiquette that comes with your proud ownership of a Corvette.

 

...and here I was expecting this to be about the wavy spoilers on 80-82 C3's...

As a former C5 and current C3 owner, it always seems like the older generations will wave at all generations, whereas the newer generations only acknowledge each other.

 

Additional girl -type info: be careful when waving to female owners of Corvettes when your wife is riding with you. Had to do a lot of explaining one time.

 

Threads about the wave and people who don’t wave and re-posts of the article from 2003 in this OP at one time were the most prolific repeated topic on the site, I think.

This thread reminds me that I don’t see the talk about it anywhere near as much anymore.

I think that confirms it’s all but dead. Sad.

 

Can't wait for the women here, who own their own Corvette to jump on this: "This miss or misses who borrows her man's Corvette". I guess the writer never considered any female would ever own a Corvette.

We should take a vote of how many here know who Sterling Moss was. I wonder if he ever drove a Corvette, when he had access to much better cars?

I "2-finger salute" any old restored or modified car of any make.

I gave up reading after 1/2 way through.

 

lol great read.
personally was unaware of this until i got mine on the road..i would say not dead as about 90% wave from my experience..whats weird is i get like motorcycles (40% wave to side) and younger crowd going beyond a wave..
so mine is a 4 finger on steering wheel..
i must say i do NOT run into c3 much on the road but maybe 2 x in 1.5 years..
after non-stop and continuing repairs/ upgrades/cleaning... i understand why..but then again im taking a 28500 mile car to 35000 already..and that is never going 30 miles past home..(3.70 gears manual not condusive to highway) but a lot of fun..

i guess to me its like showing history on the road being used and abused like it's 1979

 

Maybe Im showing my age, but in the 70s when I learned about The Wave, it was about Corvette owners waving to each other. Period. It was a little “club.”

Its nice that motorcycles or young people or other old cars owners wave sometimes, but to me that is not “The Wave.”

 

"Better" cars? I don't consider other sports cars to be better, just different.

I see this topic pop up all the time in the C4 forum. And where I live (Detroit metro area), there is plenty of Corvette to Corvette waving going on - except perhaps during the Woodward Cruise when there are so many Corvettes out there that you would literally be waving 100% of the time.

 

Coming from the muscle car and Jeep world, I get the wave a lot. Jeeps always wave to each other, regardless of generation. There's so many now, you find yourself waving all the time.

In the muscle car/classic car world drivers of other classics wave to each other. People driving anything from any brand seem to enjoy seeing another classic on the road.

Oddly enough I've found that if I'm in my T/A and drive past a classic Vette, most of the time they dont wave back. I don't know if it's them being elitist jackasses, or just being senile, but it's always the old guy in a Vette that doesn't acknowledge another classic.

 

Well I think there were a lot better "sports cars" like the Maserati, Ferrari, Porsche, etc being made in Europe at the time rather than an assembly line Corvette with it's known fittness problems here in the USA. Even the UK had some great "sports cars". Had the Corvette been better made, it would have been too expensive for the market.

I can afford, and like, my Corvette classic, but I have seen much better cars.

But now, we are off topic.

 

My experience in Western Pennyslvania, is that almost any classic car owner will wave, and certainly C3 Corvette owners. But in almost every case, late model Corvette owners DO NOT WAVE, even when I initiated the wave. I guess its typical.....why? Who knows?

can tell you that motorcyclists almost ALL wave, whether Harley or foreign bikes,.....like 99% of the time, when I am on the Road King. In fact,....many motorcyclists wave at me in the Corvette!!

Its just an acknowledgement of mutual passions. Those who don't, have some other agenda, for which most of us understand.

 

I wave at Porsche 911's....except one of my fingers is out of position.....while mumbling " more money than sense club'. LOL

Always wave at Corvettes....which is pretty effective at eliciting a response with the T-Tops off!

Unkahal

 

Data on "The Wave" is hard to come by in rural Indiana as everyone pretty much waives at everyone, vette or no vette.

 

Here in Southern Central MA, I get and give waves of recondition not only to Corvettes but all older vehicles running on the road. I pretty much love seeing the cars and trucks of the past and good old days for me. When I wave, I'm acknowledging that I get it and understand the commitment necessary to keep these vehicles road worthy.

 

Here in Florida, riding with the windows up and the A/C on, waves are a bit more difficult to achieve, but regardless, an attempt is made.

 

When I'm riding the Harley I wave to other motorcyclists (all makes) and any older/classic car gets a thumbs up. I've never driven my C3 so I can't say about getting the wave back from other Corvette drivers.

 

…..

 

I agree that most new(er) Vette owners don't wave and I'm not convinced many know what an old(er) Corvette even looks like. I visited our local Corvette club and found that most members were number 1 pretty old (I am too) and 2 all drove C7's and up. As an aside, when I drove Porsches back in the late 60's, early 70's when Porsche was a small niche sports car company everyone flashed their lights as the encountered a fellow driver. That acknowledgment died decades ago once they stopped being a small club and entered the world of big money snobbery.

 

Looked at the date of this thread thinking it was brought back from the dead as this has been posted before over the years. It's a little old but not quite a year yet.
Maybe this needs to be posted in the C8 section as most non-wavers are new to the Corvette experience and don't know.

 

Funny this was dug back up...Last sunday I was tooling through town with the tops off, I see lots of C2s around here, a mob of c4s and 5s but not many c3s... So here comes a real shiny red one with a guy and gal, speed limit is 25, I give him a wave and a nod... He looks at me like 'You talkin too me" look on his face.... obviously did not get it... just thought is was a little sad...no biggie..

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