Spy shots: 2010 BMW Z6/Z8 development begins

Spy photographers caught an unusual BMW test mule in transit from the company test track to BMW headquarters in Munich. Given the size and the wheelbase in play here, this is very likely to be the first serious test bed for the next-generation Z8 -- BMW's upcoming Mercedes SL fighter. It's not known if the car will be called Z6, Z8, or Z10.

BMW has used this disturbingly unique mule construction method before, circling the Nürburgring about 18-months-ago in another, larger, high-performance-bread-van-looking concoction. That mule was most likely an early testbed for the X6, which has recently come to fruition as a real vehicle clearly in BMW's new model pipeline.

Despite their rough, agricultural appearances, sources say these test mules are very advanced chassis development platforms. Different dynamic set-ups are said to be much easier to achieve than on more traditional mules, and this rough-hewn architecture reportedly allows for more convenient, and more detailed vehicle performance analysis.

If past timing holds true, we expect to see more evolved Z8 prototypes
(actually approximating the proportions and design of the final car)
to break cover in the next 12-to-18-months. Gallery after the jump...