BMW M4 Cabrio Spy-02

Lately, we've been treated to the sight of the BMW M4 DTM race car and the BMW M4 Coupe MotoGP Safety Car, but here's an M4 that you can buy in the near future. The upcoming BMW M4 Convertible has been snapped driven very hard (check out the front wheel!) and wearing very minimal disguise.

It doesn't have to, really. It's not like we can't piece together an image of the M4 Coupe and the 4 Series Convertible. The front end of the cabriolet looks similar to the M4 Coupe's, complete with an aggressive front apron, and there's also the the power dome hood and M gills on the flanks. The twin-stalk wing mirrors (with disconnected upper mount) seen here are also from the M4 Coupe.

Under that swollen hood, the M4 Convertible is expected to carry the same powerplant as the M4 Coupe and M3 Sedan. The swap to a 3.0 litre straight-six turbo brings big gains in both performance and efficiency over the old NA 4.0 V8. Power is up from 420 to 431 hp, while torque sees a big hike from 400 Nm to 550 Nm, now available across a wider rev band.

Zero to 100 km/h takes just 4.1 seconds in the M3/M4 (with the M DCT's Launch Control; manual is 0.2 sec slower), and top speed is limited to 250 km/h. Tick the M Driver's Package option, and you get access to 280 km/h. Serious drivers won't opt for the Cabrio, but M car thrills with the convertible feel will win fans.