Leaked: pictures of the 2019 BMW Z4 before you're meant to see it

So often manufacturers reveal wild fantastical concept cars, only for them to come out of the other end — beaten and bruised by the sticks of designers, budgets, and focus groups — looking watered down and dull. 

Whether the all-new BMW Z4 concept revealed nearly a year ago was wild or fantastical is a point of contention. But, going on these leaked images of what purports to be its production-car cousin, it looks set to look almost identical to the concept when it shows up in showrooms around the world.

Leakd over social media, the images show a similar front facia and rear tail-light arrangement to what appeared on the almost 12-month-old concept. 

Differences come via the level of aggression in the front end's arrangement of vents and splitters, as well as the lack of bonnet vents, and a much more subtle upswept character line along the roadster's side sills. The hungry twin-kidneys, proportions, and pinched rear end all remain. 

The pictured car is badged as an M40i, which indicates that it's probably the range-topping variant. Expect the entry level Z4 30i to come with with slightly different, less chiselled features.

A full M-spec Z4, while a nice thought in theory, is highly unlikely. 

It's no shock that these pictures surface now, of course. BMW have already confirmed that the new Z4 would be debuting at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which takes place on August 26–27. 

Under the skin, the Z4 will come with either a turbocharged 2.0-litre 185kW four-cylinder engine, or (as is the case for the aforementioned M40i) a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine capable of somewhere in the ballpark of 260kW.

As we've covered extensively in the past, the new Z4 will share some of its architecture with the new Toyota Supra, which made its public debut recently at the Goodwood Festival of Speed — though it was still coated in figure-hiding camouflage. 

The Z4 is expected to go on sale in other markets in March 2019. We'll keep you posted on any further developments.