As we suspected, it sports very similar firepower to its ‘standard' BMW M5 and M6 brethren. And by very similar, we mean identical: underneath that rather lovely body sits a 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine developing 552bhp and 502lb ft of torque

• Official BMW M6 Gran Coupe press release:

In early summer 2013, the all-new BMW M6 Gran Coupe will join its famous BMW M5 Sedan and M6 Coupe siblings as what is perhaps the perfect combination of both. The BMW M6 Gran Coupe is an ultra-high performance, four-door Coupe design with stunning aesthetics, race-bred technology, and the signature driving character of BMW M GmbH.

The M6 Gran Coupe is made instantly unique among four-door vehicles by its bonded-in carbon fiber composite roof panel, similar to the one found on the M6 Coupe. Between the doors is a cabin of sensational coupe-like design and first-class materials. The M6 Gran Coupe’s control placement and – equally important – control feel are second to none. The four-plus-one seating arrangement allows the M6 Gran Coupe to carry four adults in luxury, and offers maximum seating capacity for five when needed.

The new M6 Gran Coupe features the most powerful engine ever fitted to an M production car, a 4.4-liter M TwinPower Turbo V-8 with 560 horsepower and an always-accessible 500 lb-ft of torque. With this endowment, the rear-wheel drive BMW M6 Gran Coupe practically rockets from 0-60mph in 4.1 seconds and reaches an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph in only a few seconds more.

The new BMW M6 Gran Coupe focuses the gargantuan muscle of its engine on the road through one of the most advanced drivetrains BMW has ever developed. The high-torque 7-speed M-Double Clutch Transmission (M-DCT) borrowed from the M5 and M6 Coupe sends power uninterrupted to the innovative Active M Differential, which in turn perfectly balances power between the rear wheels. This advanced drivetrain, combined with truly radical chassis and suspension revisions to the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe on which the car is based, ensure that the M6 Gran Coupe’s substantial output is transferred to the ground predictably and repeatedly.

• Competes with: Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and E63 AMG, Audi RS7
• Looks like: BMW's baddest four-door gets the M treatment
• Drive train: 560-hp, twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine with seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission
• Hits dealerships: Early summer.

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