Exclusive: CT's Sneak Peek At The Hot BMW M4

In case you’ve only now emerged from underneath your rock, a quick recap on the all-new BMW 4-series is in order.

The 4-series is BMW’s spangly new name for its forthcoming and utterly sexy two-door 3-series model. Compared with the current 3-series, it’s lower, wider, sleeker and more striking to look and will come with a choice of downsized petrol and diesel engines, ranging from a 418i to 435i and a 420d to a 435d. Yup, that’s as strange to write as it is to read…

But aren’t we forgetting something? Ah yes, joining the new line-up will be the hot M4 coupe and cabriolet, the former of which we’ve mocked up for you to fawn over.

Under the hood of this hardcore ‘4 will be a heavily tinkered 450bhp turbocharged six-pot 3.0-litre motor (the same engine you’ll find in the brilliant M135i) that it will share with the new M3 saloon. Like the new M5, the M3 and M4 cars also ditch two cylinders in favour of downsized tubocharged units.

Changes to the M4’s exterior compared with the standard car will include a lower ride height, bigger wheels, more aero kit and of course tasty M3 badges. In a bid to save weight and lower the M4’s centre of gravity, the roof is made of carbonfibre.

While the M3 saloon hits our shelves at the beginning of 2013, we’ll have to wait until the end of the year to get our hands on the M4. Until then, however, there’s always the Mercedes C63 AMG for swear-worthy entertainment…