And now we have the exclusive photos to go with it.

We’ve been chasing C6—the sixth-generation Corvette—information for months. Ace spy photographer Jim Dunne finally caught up with four “Beta” prototypes near Brighton, Michigan. Despite the camouflage on the nose, tail and part of the front quarter-panel, the pictures are revealing, with the doors and its entire greenhouse in the clear.

This new Corvette’s overall length is slightly shorter than the C5’s 179.7 inches, and the C6 will share the Cadillac XLR’s 105.7-inch wheelbase, 1.2 inches longer than that of the C5.

Though the look isn’t a huge departure from the C5, the C6’s overall shape is edgier, the nose more blunt and the windshield more upright. The C6’s rear end is more tapered than the C5’s—that should please most Corvette fans, though those who favor a radical restyle won’t be too excited.

This new Corvette’s headlights are fixed units, not hideaways, for the first time since the Sting Ray of 1963. The reason is for aerodynamic advantages and to reduce wind noise. “Those [exposed headlights] will be debated ’til the cows come home,” a GM design source said.

C6 will share the XLR’s hydroformed frame rails and its magnesium, aluminum and high-strength steel cockpit structure. The body panels are made of SMC, the same plastic as the current body.

We’re told cutting weight was critical to GM engineers this time around, and the C6 should weigh in the 3100-pound range, about the same as a C5, and less than a Nissan 350Z, one of which was seen traveling with the group of prototypes Dunne photographed.

Most sources tell us the base model’s 5.7-liter V8 will produce more than today’s Z06, which makes 405 hp. Call it 410 to 425 hp.

There’s a next-generation Z06 engine under way as well. That engine’s displacement and horsepower figures are still being determined, a source said, while powertrain engineers sort out compatibility with the transmission—expect more displacement, torque and power when the Z06 comes out a year after the first C6s are launched. Stronger brakes are expected as well.

The C6 also will share Magnasteer, StabiliTrak active handling and magnetic ride control with the XLR.

Software engineers will be just as important as mechanical engineers in the distinction between the XLR and C6: The Corvette’s steering and suspension will be tuned much more toward performance than is the XLR’s.