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BMW has confirmed that it will reveal the next Z4 at Pebble Beach in August before its specifications are announced at the Paris motor show the month after.

The upcoming Z4 model, which is expected to go on sale in March 2019, has been caught on camera testing for more than a year. The latest sighting showed the car wearing production-spec bodywork covered by light camouflage. It sits on smaller-diameter wheels than earlier spotted cars, suggesting it's a lower-spec model.

An earlier video (see below) showed the car cornering at pace. It was also wearing winglets on its nose, suggesting that BMW was assessing the car's performance when under load.

Powering the new Z4 will be a choice of BMW's latest turbocharged petrol engines. The Z4 sDrive30i will get a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder that produces about 248bhp, while more powerful variants will get a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder unit that's shared with the M240i, producing about 350bhp.

Both engines will come with standard rear-wheel drive and a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The Z4 shares parts with the upcoming Toyota Supra and is similarly expected to be offered with a hybrid drivetrain. Such a drivetrain would likely come with four-wheel drive.

BMW's decision to equip the Z4 with the same rear axle as the M3 and M4 suggests its hardware will be compatible with the 425bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight six-engine of those models or the 365bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder powerplant from the M2, along with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

This car would be badged as an M model and therefore will get bespoke bodywork and a more focused chassis set-up.

BMW announced the future Z4's arrival back in 2015 and revealed a concept version to preview its design last year.

The car's relation to the Supra is part of Toyota and BMW's decision to co-develop a new sports car platform.

While the Z4 will be a convertible, Toyota's new car will be a spiritual successor to the original Supra and as such will wear a hard top, as shown by spotted development cars.

Inspiration for the new Supra's design has been taken from the striking FT-1 concept, first seen at the Detroit motor show in 2014.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...-specs-details