Boxster Killer?

BMW has finally admitted they are making an M badged Z4:

The car will get its first public outing in January at the Detroit Motor Show and will go in sale in the UK in the Spring. There’s no word on pricing yet, but expect it to be around the £38k to rival the Boxster S.

[boring cosmetic changes snipped]

BMW has chosen to use the current M3’s 3.2-litre straight-six powerplant, rather than the next M3’s 400bhp V8 as was originally predicted, making this likely to be the last six-cylinder M-car. It produces the same 340bhp at 7900rpm and 269lb ft 4900rpm as the M3, but in the lighter Z4 (1420kg) it gives a power to weight ratio of 241bhp per tonne (bettering the M3 by 23bhp) and a 0-62mph time of 5.0sec. Top speed is limited to 155mph.

The transmission is the M3’s six-speed manual, and the final drive ratio has been lowered to 3.62:1 to improve acceleration. But despite the extra power and torque and the car’s performance potential, the shell hasn’t been given any extra bracing to improve stiffness, which remains the same as the Z4’s.