SAVE THE WAVE:

The following is a reprint of an article, titled "SAVE THE WAVE" that is said to have appeared in the Aug / Sep '69 issue of the 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. 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.

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 [remember this article was written in 1969] 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.

So, when you see a fellow Corvette owner,
SAVE THE WAVE!

This was posted previously by Sully another CF member

 

I'm guilty of waving when I'm in my DD...

Happens that this weekend I went to run some errands and came
across 4 Vettes in a span of about 15 minutes.

I waved to all but not a single wave back.

One guy in a vert gave me the evil eye.

Geez...You'd think I fed chicken to his dog under the table.

 

 

Thanks for the reminder.

 

I couldn't agree more!

 

Everyone please acknowledge our fellow Corvette enthusiasts: Please Wave. Save the wave.

 

i think it's cool when another vette owner waves and all, but i dont see how people get bent out of shape when someone doesnt wave back (ive seen numerous "they didnt wave back" post). personally, i could care less if someone waves or doesnt wave. were im from (small town), you wave to everyone you meet on the road.

 

someone should post this in the C6 section

 

Save the Wave

 

They seem to be slow on the uptake.

 

I remember I got my first wave while on the test drive and didn't know what it was about. I thought maybe the guy had mistaken me for someone he knew. The car salesman even asked me if I knew that guy. I guess he didn't know about the wave either. Well, obviously I bought the car and soon learned about the wave. My first few months, I too looked forward to running into other vettes so that I could wave and it was fun. Unfortunately the low return wave percentage dampened my spirits and now I must admit, I only wave if waved at. If more and more people take this attitude, then soon no one will wave expecting the other guy/gal to wave first. I guess I have become part of the problem. My bad. Thanks for the reminder and I'll try to be more proactive and wave.

 

Back in prehistoric times, oops I mean the '50s, everybody with a sportscar waved. Whether it be an MG,Triumph, or Jag (Porche drivers were a little snooty), you got a wave. It was an unwritten rule of sportscar ownership. With the proliteration of all kinds of cars over the years, it has died out.

Dedicated Corvette lovers definitely need to keep it alive.

 

I was doing a little cruising in the Vette this past weekend, when I got the best wave I have ever gotten. I was stopped in a left turn lane, when I see an old vette aproaching. I thought to myself, "damn, thats a '6? something vette". The guy extends his arm fully out his window, gave me the "full arm wave" as he passed by. I returned the favor, & looked in my rear view after he passed. I nearly **** when I realized it was a '63 split window (black). Damn thing sounded incredible as it passed too. Man I felt good. I figured the wave was a generation thing, C1-C1, C2-C2, C3-C3, etc..... But now I wave at all vettes, no matter the year.

 

If you see a fellow vette....wave!

 

Unfortunately, I've noticed that C6 drivers tend not to wave back. I usually wait for a wave & respond.

 

 

Here's a wave from Oklahoma City!

 

Just under the 50 years I've owned Corvettes, I've seen the "wave" all but disappear. Back in the 50's and 60's if you owned a Corvette you ALWAYS waved. We didn't care what year or model. They were so rare in those days, that in any local area most of use knew all of the cars and owners anyway. I think now days fewer owners belong to Corvette clubs and don't really know what that wave is all about. Todays Corvette has many "competitors" trying to capture that special, "something", that the cars have. They haven't yet. I always wave knowing that less than half wave back. I may give them the idea to wave next time, and that's good enough for me. By the way, have you noticed how bike riders wave to each other? They sort of swing out their left hand low from the hip, palm open. It's like a secret society sign that says " We've got something special that they don't know about".

 

I think this thread should also be posted in the C6 area, for sure!