It took five long days, hundreds of miles and more caffeine than one wants to admit to, but after watching a commercial photo shoot from afar, our photographer finally got a chance to photograph the all-new 2007 Chevrolet Silverado as it sprinted out of a car carrier and ran through a car wash.

Riding on the GMT900 platform, the Silverado's introduction comes after that of the full-size sport utility vehicles -- the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Until now, the pickup truck has been very well hidden behind miles of black vinyl.

Although this was originally scheduled to arrive as a 2008 model, Chevrolet has been working at a fast pace and the Silverado will likely debut this fall, with production starting as early as October. And, as you can clearly see here, this is no Tahoe clone, but a unique look including stacked headlamps, that clearly differentiate the truck from the SUV.

Yes, we are a bit surprised that the Silverado doesn't have some of the signature styling from the 2003 Cheyenne concept -- such as the wraparound glass at the back of the cab. Yet we imagine that consumers will be pleasantly surprised with both the styling, and with the advanced dynamic capability promised for this pickup.

By the way, as the images show, the Silverado can be equipped with a roof-rack and back-up sensors.