Body kit
Encyclopedia
A body kit or bodykit is a collection of exterior modifications to a car
, typically composed of front and rear bumpers, side skirts, spoilers
,paint jobs, and sometimes front and rear side guards and roof scoops. There are many companies that offer alternatives to the original factory appearance of the vehicle. Body kits components are designed to complement each other and work together as a complete design. Despite this, the 'mix and match' approach is often seen on cars, where the front of one body kit will be matched with the rear of another, for example.
Automotive body kits are usually constructed of either fiberglass
, polyurethane
, or in some cases carbon fiber
. Fiberglass is cheap and widely available, although it can crack upon impact. Polyurethane is popular because it is flexible and thus more resistant to damage. Carbon fiber body kits are rare, due to the cost of the materials, and are rarely seen on street-legal vehicles.
Factory-fitted body kits are now becoming more common, perhaps in response to the growth of the aftermarket tuning industry in the late 1990s and onwards. Many manufacturers now work in-house with their motor sport divisions to develop styling upgrades.
(2003) and beyond, Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 (2003), Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
(2004), Ridge Racer 7
(2006), Juiced series
(2005), The Fast And The Furious Tokyo Drift
(2007), MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
(2009), etc, the vehicles can be modified in many ways, including with body kits.
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Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
, typically composed of front and rear bumpers, side skirts, spoilers
Spoiler (automotive)
A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams, because in addition to directing air flow they also reduce the amount of air...
,paint jobs, and sometimes front and rear side guards and roof scoops. There are many companies that offer alternatives to the original factory appearance of the vehicle. Body kits components are designed to complement each other and work together as a complete design. Despite this, the 'mix and match' approach is often seen on cars, where the front of one body kit will be matched with the rear of another, for example.
Automotive body kits are usually constructed of either fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
, or in some cases carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
. Fiberglass is cheap and widely available, although it can crack upon impact. Polyurethane is popular because it is flexible and thus more resistant to damage. Carbon fiber body kits are rare, due to the cost of the materials, and are rarely seen on street-legal vehicles.
Factory-fitted body kits are now becoming more common, perhaps in response to the growth of the aftermarket tuning industry in the late 1990s and onwards. Many manufacturers now work in-house with their motor sport divisions to develop styling upgrades.
Popular culture
In video games like Need for Speed: UndergroundNeed for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground is the seventh racing game in the Need for Speed video game series developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts in 2003...
(2003) and beyond, Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 (2003), Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
(2004), Ridge Racer 7
Ridge Racer 7
Ridge Racer 7 is the seventh console installment in the Ridge Racer series of racing games, released on PlayStation 3. The game has around 40 cars, many of which return from Ridge Racer 6 and the PSP incarnations of the game. There are also 22 courses, available in forward, reverse and mirror mode....
(2006), Juiced series
Juiced (series)
Juiced is a series of racing games developed by Juice Games and published by THQ.In January 2008, THQ announced they would not continue the Juiced series.- Juiced installments :*2005 - Juiced*2006 - Juiced: Eliminator...
(2005), The Fast And The Furious Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious (video game)
is a racing game for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The game is based on the film series of the same name; particularly, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift...
(2007), MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge is the third entry in the MotorStorm series of video games, developed by Bigbig Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable...
(2009), etc, the vehicles can be modified in many ways, including with body kits.
See also
- DownforceDownforceDownforce is a downwards thrust created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a car. The purpose of downforce is to allow a car to travel faster through a corner by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip....
- Kit carKit carA kit car, also known as a "component car", is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then either assembles into a car themselves, or retains a third party to do part or all of the work on their behalf...
- Pimp My RidePimp My RidePimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it and customizing it.The original United States version was hosted by rapper Xzibit...
, a television series about vehicle restoration and modification that uses body kits extensively
External links
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