Introduced for the 1967 model year, Chevrolet’s Camaro was designed to go head-to-head with the phenomenally successful Ford Mustang. By the Camaro’s third-year on the market, it was doing an admirable job of closing the sales gap, thanks in part to consumer advertising that relied primarily upon images to deliver the sales pitch.

Above, we see the Camaro — specifically a Camaro SS with the RS package, per Chevrolet’s ad copy — staged artistically in front of a Corvette Stingray, with the title, “Camaro and company.” Even without reading the copy, the message is clear: Perhaps a Corvette is a stretch for your budget, but the Camaro is still a desirable performance car, at an attainable price. In fact, the longing gaze cast by the model on the Corvette’s nose seems to indicate she’d rather have the Camaro.

How the Camaro waged a sales war with Mustang, without eating at the Corvette market.