BMW M2 specs leaked

Full story to follow; 369hp, Active M Differential, manual gearbox and £44K starting price seemingly confirmed

Worst kept secrets and all that... We knew the BMW M2 was coming and the wraps are still - tenuously - on for a full reveal later on today that we're currently playing good boys and not blowing. Tempting as it is.

Someone has got hold of (and scanned) a magazine that reveals some key stats about the M2 though and it'd be remiss of us not to tease you with what's now out there. So, in short for a starting price of £44,070 the M2 has a 369hp 3.0-litre six-cylinder single turbo engine with a choice of manual or M DCT dual-clutch transmissions driving through a fully active, electronically controlled locking diff. Sounds good, right?

In the current BMW style the engine sounds like a proper torque monster too, delivering a quoted 465Nm (343lb ft in old money) from just 1,450rpm with a 35Nm (26lb ft) overboost function for good measure. The 1 M Coupe the M2 so closely resembles had a similar feature and - ta-da - identical maximum torque figure of 369lb ft.

This would appear to be good enough for a 0-62 time of 4.5 seconds with the manual or 4.3 seconds with the DCT gearbox. Top speed is apparently limited to 155mph. Weight is quoted at 1,495kg, seemingly 35kg less than a DCT-equipped M235i.

Check back later on this evening for the full story. Unless our trigger fingers get itchy before then.