BMW has its sights set on the new Porsche Cayman S with the announcement of its new Z4 M Coupé.
Powered by a 3.2-litre straight six engine taken from the current M3, it offers 343bhp at peak performance. It will feature a six-speed manual transmission.
BMW claims a 0-100km/h time of 5.0 seconds and a limited top speed of 155mph. The Bavarians claim that during testing the Z4 M managed to complete the famous Nordschleife northern circuit of the Nurburgring in Germany faster than the M3, with which it shares not only the engine but also the chassis and suspension set-up. The brakes are taken from the M3 CSL.
A 3-litre Z4 Coupé will also be launched. The two new models are expected to go on sale here in June, with prices expected to start at about €78,000 for the 3-litre version. This will be in line with the expected 20 per cent rise in prices for the updated Z4 soft-top roadster which is being launched in the coming months.