GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz recently confirmed that the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe was still a go. Spy photographer Brenda Priddy says these shots of the half-covered coupe caught during rural testing prove it.

A V-series version of the CTS Coupe seemed in doubt when GM announced in February that it was disbanding the High Performance Vehicle Operations team. Former HPVO members, responsible for the V-series Cadillacs, Chevy Cobalt SS and HHR SS, were said to be off working on regular cars. But the CTS-V shows that the HIPO team has at least a few tricks left in its bag.

“Compared to the prototypes we saw last year, these new prototypes look almost production-ready, down to the two massive, center-mount exhaust outlets, larger, sportier wheels and V-series badging,” Priddy says. “We can also see that this new prototype is NOT sporting cross-drilled rotors as the first prototypes were. Additionally, pieces of black tape cover the V-series badges just behind the front wheels.”

Other V-series parts include wire mesh grille, wider tires, large brake calipers and power dome hood—under which sits the 6.2L, supercharged V8 known as the LSA. Good for 556 hp and 551 lb.-ft. in the CTS-V sedan, the powerplant should yield similar specs for the V Coupe.

Production is likely to start in the summer of 2010 at the Lansing Grand River factory.