001 BMW M4 Front
The M4 will have a face-lift from the M3, including a wider grille that touches the headlights. BMW

After four generations, BMW is replacing its M3, the high-performance version of the 3 Series developed by the German automaker’s Motorsport division, with the M4, due out for the 2014/15 model year.

Executives from BMW M Gmbh, the wholly owned racecar-making subsidiary of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (FRA:BMW), showed up at this year’s Pebble Beach Tour d’Élégance, an annual homage to classic cars along the 17-Mile Drive in Monterey, Calif., to pull back the curtain on the Concept M4 Coupe.

The tinted glass indicates the interior has yet to be ready for primetime, but the company says the production version is coming out so soon it's unlikely the exterior will endure many, if any, significant changes from what was seen in Monterey on Thursday afternoon.

The 3-Series, BMW's best-selling sedan, has been in production since 1975 and is currently in its sixth generation. It too will be replaced with the 4 Series, which made its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

The Concept M4 Coupe will be turning heads at the upcoming 65th Annual International Motor Show in Frankfurt Sept. 12-22, 2013, with specs and a glimpse of the German-tolled interior. Put on your seat belts.