Corvette owners use the slogan "Save the Wave" to promote the idea of one Corvette enthusiast waving to another when their cars pass on the highway. I always thought it was a nice idea and I always give a little wave of the hand when I'm driving an antique car and pass another collector vehicle.
Unfortunately, other old-car owners don't always return the gesture.
Over the weekend, I took a 500-mile round trip to the Lake Geneva Classic Car Rally in my yellow 1954 MG TF roadster. Along the way - mostly on the return trip on Sunday - I passed old cars that had attended the "Madison Classics" swap meet in Jefferson, Wis. and the annual car show in Green Lake, Wis. I passed antiques, hot rods, muscle cars, vintage trucks and even a couple of real classics riding on the back of a flatbed truck. I waved each time and only once did I see a wave come back at me. That signal came from the smiling owner of a gorgeous-looking red-and-white '57 Plymouth convertible.
I'll tell you right off the bat that I was a little disappointed by the lack of waving. As car collectors, we're all in this hobby together. It doesn't matter if you drive a chopped-and-channeled '32 Ford, a Camaro Pace Car or a Chrysler Airflow, we need each other to support the shows and to keep our hobby going and growing. There's strength in numbers and if this hobby is to stay strong, we need to start waving to each other again.