BMW teases new drop-top coupe

BMW USA has taken to social media to reveal a teaser image of a convertible sportscar, most likely the replacement for the Z4 roadster that ended production in the second half of last year.

The teaser image shows the outline of the vehicle in profile with a low, sleek roofline, subtle lip spoiler, long bonnet and a pair of rear buttresses.

Accompanying the photo was a caption reading “Starting August 17th, the road will never be the same”, essentially confirming that the new car will be revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance later this month.

After the old model was put out to pasture in August 2016, the Z4’s replacement has been developed alongside Toyota, which is expected to revive the legendary Supra nameplate for a coupe version of the as-yet-unnamed development car.

BMW is building and developing the platform, while Toyota is expected to provide its own high-performance hybrid powertrain that will help the Supra take on the likes of the Honda NSX and Nissan GT-R.

After opting for a three-piece retractable hard-top roof in the second-gen Z4, it is expected that BMW will revert to a canvas lid as seen on the first-gen model, to save weight and increase performance.

If that is the case, then the teaser image could end up being a concept due to the image showing targa-style rear buttresses usually associated with a folding hard-top.

In the past BMW has shown a concept before revealing the production version of a new model, as recently demonstrated by the Concept 8 Series from May ahead of the expected debut of the production flagship coupe next year.

The Z4 will be produced at the Magna Steyr factory in Austria, and has been spied testing in camouflage on international roads in recent months.

Possible powertrain combinations have not yet been revealed, however something similar to the second-gen engine line-up is likely, with 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder options in various states of tune to go with a flagship 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder variant.

As is tradition with BMW, power can be expected to be sent exclusively to the rear wheels.

With the Z4 temporarily unavailable, BMW drop-top fans can still choose from the likes of the 2 Series, 4 Series or 6 Series for Bavarian open-air motoring.

The mystery BMW convertible will be revealed on August 17.