2012 BMW M6 convertible spied on public streets

Like all M cars, the new M6 exhibits nothing more than a few discreet visual revisions, including a new front apron and a lower chin spoiler, compared with the normal 6 Series. Bigger wheels hide bigger disc brakes while the trademark chrome grille just in front of the door will remain.

Although nothing is official yet, the new M6 is expected to receive the same powerplant as the upcoming BMW M5. We're talking a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 producing upwards of 400kW. Transmissions on the M5 haven't been officially finalised yet so it's a bit hard to say what the M6 will have.

From the side you can see the large cross-drilled disc brakes shining through, behind the sporty, more aggressive wheel and tyre package. Apart from these slight revisions, the new M6 will look very similar to the normal 6 Series, albeit with lower, wider suspension.

From the rear there's those trademark quad-outlet exhaust tips we've become accustomed to on recent M cars. Interestingly, the pipes don't protrude through an aggressive rear diffuser setup, they simply exit the body through a conventional lower bumper bar layout.

As this is a prototype test car though, production car bodywork might be much more jumped up, featuring a more obvious and sporty bodykit of some kind.

The 2012 BMW M6 is likely to be unveiled some time next year and go on sale in 2013. We'll keep you updated in any case.