‘A sign of respect’: Bring back this wholesome act of car fellowship

If you own an enthusiast or less common car, you might’ve seen someone give you a little wave or flash of the headlights when driving in your direction.

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There are plenty of different renditions of what we call the “solidarity wave”, whether it be a quick flash of the headlights, a point of two fingers or even a scream and frantic wave.

These are the most wholesome of car fellowships we have found.

Hey! Charger!

One of the earliest example of wholesome car trends in Australia dates back to 1971 when the Valiant Charger hit the market.

A television advert featured the VH Valiant Charger R/T Coupe, which had just been released that year.

Alvin Purple actor Gary Down, driving with his partner in his new Charger, sees a plethora of attractive women yelling out, “Hey Charger” and putting up the V symbol for “Victory” or “Valiant.”

The saying soon became a part of the Australian vernacular, solidifying its place in pop culture alongside, “Tell em they’re dreamin’,” from The Castle, “Not happy, Jan,” from the White Pages advert, and, of course, “You’re terrible, Muriel,” from Muriel’s Wedding.

The marketing campaign was so successful that not only did “Hey Charger” carry through to future Chargers but also became a sense of pride for all Valiant owners in the 1970s and ’80s.

Even in 2024, as someone who was born 28 years after the original TV commercial first came out, I still hear “Hey Charger” whenever anyone drives past in a Valiant.

‘It’s the law’

A popular saying among Mazda MX-5 owners is “It’s the law”. Simply, this means if you see another MX-5 parked, you must park next to it.

It first started on Australian MX-5 groups for NA (first-generation) and NB (second-generation) but quickly became international, with owners as far away as Europe posting a photo next to their fellow owners with the caption “It’s the law”.

No matter how new or old the MX-5 is, it is now “the law” to park directly next to it and take a photo for the Facebook group.

It’s also beginning to seep into other groups, with Suzuki Jimny, Subaru Forester, Chevrolet Corvette, old Toyota Corolla and even Tesla owners following “the law” of parking next to someone with the same car as you.

Jeep rubber ducking

Jeep owners have a tradition called “rubber-ducking”, which means carrying around a box full of rubber ducks in the hopes of finding another Jeep owner; when you see one, you place a duck on their car in solidarity.

The tradition started with Allison Parliament, whose website provides the following background: “Allison Parliament, from Orillia, was visiting the small town of Bancroft in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was there that she unknowingly started a movement of kindness, fellowship, and recognition with that first rubber duck she placed on a Jeep.”

“After a frightening verbal and physical encounter with someone earlier in the day, Allison bought a little yellow rubber duck, and when she encountered a Jeep like hers, she wanted to brighten another Jeeper’s day.  She got caught doing it but brought joy and a smile to a stranger’s face.  This caught on, and others started Ducking Jeeps just as Allison had.”

“Many years later, that single gesture has morphed into the Jeep ducking craze that has swept throughout the Jeep enthusiast community in the United States as well as dozens of other countries around the world.”

The international “Duck Duck Jeep” Facebook group has now amassed 150,000 members with Jeep owners putting their own flair and flavour on their rubber ducks to hand out to fellow Jeep owners.

Allison Parliament, unfortunately, passed away in June of 2024 but has left behind a tradition that continues to grow and bring joy to Jeep owners.

The solidarity wave or salute

The solidarity wave or salute has no set brand or parameters. It is usually a little two-finger salute or a full wave and a car trend that has made its way across many enthusiast-based brands.

Subaru, Jeep, Mazda MX-5, Suzuki Jimny, and Mini owners are the most guilty of it, but even Tesla and BYD owners have reported having fellow owners waving at them in traffic.

Jeep owners, again, claim ownership over the solidarity wave, coining it the “Jeep Wave”. According to a Jeep dealership, there is no exact date when the Jeep wave became a thing, but they speculate that it was around WWII.

“No one is quite sure where or when the Jeep Wave started. Some speculate that it originated during or after World War II, a war in which Jeep vehicles were commonly used for transportation. As soldiers returned from the war, drivers would wave to acknowledge each other’s service. However, there is no firm evidence to back up this explanation.”

“The more accepted version of the Jeep Wave’s origin story is that it simply developed as a sign of respect for Jeeps everywhere.”

Since then, it has become a sign of solidarity, with a TikTok user going viral a few years ago after losing her mind seeing another Subaru WRX owner.

Another rendition is that if you see another car with pop-up headlights, you must toggle your lights up and down to them as a sign of respect and fellowship.

Leaving a Hot Wheels car

Perhaps one of the most wholesome car trends in recent years is leaving a Hot Wheels car of the same make and model on someone’s windshield.

It was first popularised when a Canadian TikTokker went viral after leaving a Hot Wheels version of a Honda Civic on a Type R owner’s windshield. The video amassed 45 million views on the platform and started a new movement.

Many have followed the user and have begun heading out to car shows and meets with bags full of Hot Wheels cars to leave on owners’ windshields.

For $2 per Hot Wheels car, you can get involved and make someone’s day with this simple gesture.

So how about you? What other cars deserve a fellowship? And what form should it take? Let us know in the comments below.

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