Sightings of the next-generation BMW Z4, which is expected to arrive in early 2009, have increased as of late. Most recently, it was spotted outside the Nurburgring wearing a seriously funkadelic camo getup.
This particular prototype sports a hard top, supporting rumors that BMW will mimic the Mazda MX-5 with the next Z4 by offering both hard- and soft-top variants. The overall shape of the car remains similar to that of the current one, though the front end gets reworked to match the new version of BMW's style kicked off by 2007's Concept CS. On the whole, it looks like BMW will be taking the same approach with this new Z4 as it did with the new 7 Series: keep what works, polish up what doesn't.
BMW has managed to keep a tight lid on the technical details of the new Z4, but the logical leap is that it will receive the same powertrain options as the 3 Series, including the 300-hp twin-turbo 3.0L I-6. An possible M version may come a year or two after launch powered by the M3's 420-hp 4.0L V-8.