"Save The Wave"
Corvette News
August/September 1969

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:

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 occassionally 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.

And besides, in this era of mechanized anonymity, we need to save all the human relationships we can.

What to do about the problem of non-wavers? Well, in the movie "The Hustler," Fast Eddie had his hands broken for not playing by the rules. But, maybe this is going just a bit too far. Maybe the solution is to cure these guys with kindness.

So, take a look at these drawings and pick a wave you like. Then, the next time you pass a fellow Vetteran, make sure you use it. And the next time. And the next. Who knows? If you don't succeed in getting some of these hard-noses to wave back, at least you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you've started a lot of them thinking. And that alone is worth a wave.

The Gaping "Yoo Hoo!" - Good for waving at Vettes on the other side of divided highways, in medium-to-heavy traffic. Not much good for anything else.

The Two-Finger Flip - A move that can say "Hi." Or "Wow!" Or "Victory." Or most anything else, depending on the action of the giver, and the reaction of the taker.

The Four-Finger Pop-up - One of the classics. Palm grasps top of wheel, while fingers are extended snappily. An inscrutable expression helps the total effect.

The Eight-Point Spread - Broad, expansive and outgoing. The hand action is reminiscent of Al Jolson at his best.

The Pointer - Sort of a wink, a click and a "bang, you're dead!" combination. Can also be used to draw attention to a pursuing traffic cop, in which case, you are dead.

The Wiping Swipe - Sort of a "Hi, guys." Primarily given by patronizing father-figure types.

The Topper-Tipper - A rarely seen, but eloquent gesture. Can prove embarrassing when the tipper wears both a hat and a toupee.

The Right-Handed "Hi-G'Bye." - A desperation move, given only at the last minute. Hand shoots straight skyward, occasionally scrunching fingernails or knuckles in the process.

The Near-Futile Head Jerk - A last resort, when you think you'll be snubbed, but aren't; or when you think you haven't been daydreaming, but have.

The Last-Minute Left Elbow Grope - Another desperation tactic, usually seen only in rear-view mirrors. Has all the grace and finesse of a peg-legged man in a forest fire.

 

Well done, Jeff.

 

i take no credit for writing this - i found it on another corvette site and reposted it here. evidently it was first published in 1969 in Corvette News, which i assume was a magazine.

just wanted to pass it along!

save the wave!

jeff

 

This is hillarious!!
I admit I relate to a lot of that article When to wave, how to wave, etc....and yes I really do look forward to running into other vette's on the road so I can. AND do get a bit bothered when a wave isn't returned....I try and chalk it up to they didn't see me.

 

I wave at Corvette drivers when I am in the Exploder or my Harley. They think I am nuts.

 

This had me quickly scrolling up to check the date this was written. My, we've come a long way (baby)?

 

[QUOTE=YNOT2K;1572894669]"Save The Wave"
Corvette News
August/September 1969

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 occassionally failing to return a well-meaning wave. So are new owners who are still learning the ropes.QUOTE]

This is great!

I never ever fail to wave, even if I know the other driver may or may not return it makes no difference to me. I am definitely am not a snob and always wave! Let them misread it, I could care less.

Its a camaraderie of sorts, and I appreciate any and all waves that come my way.

Laura

 

The last thing I told the guy that just bought my ZO6 is.. "You are now in the Corvette family and you MUST wave at a fellow family member"

 

I wave regardless. If I don't get a wave, I ASSUME the other driver didn't see me because he is PAYING ATTENTION to what is going on around him/her.

Since I have 20% tint on my windows, I've even been known to roll down my window in the pouring rain to make sure someone sees me give them the wave. Just the kind of guy I am.

Wave and don't be insecure about it!

 

I love the wave, but sometimes I think people take it too seriously. Come on. If I don't wave, I am not snubbing you. I simply didn't see you. I am driving, you know. My feeling is that I try to wave at the car so that I am not affended if the wave is not returned.