Exterior for Subaru Impreza GD

The exterior section covers the outside of the car. Its aero parts are front and rear bumper lips, side skirts, spoilers, wings and canards. It also holds tow hooks and towing straps, bonnet and boot latches, quarter-turn fasteners and other body hardware. Mirrors, grilles, mud flaps, window visors and washer tanks are here too, with films, sun strips, stickers, paints and coatings.

Most body parts are made for one model, so check the model and years in the title against your car. Then choose by what the part has to cope with:

• Lips and skirts are listed by material. Polyurethane (PU) flexes, so it copes better with knocks from kerbs and ramps; ABS is stiffer, and carbon is lighter.
• Towing points come as solid hooks or fabric straps, listed by colour and length. A strap folds flat when it is not in use.
• Films are listed by size, and sun films also by tint, for example 15 % or 5 %. Check your local rules on how dark the front side windows may be.
• Paints and coatings include lacquer sets for brake calipers in several colours, and clear film that protects the paintwork from stone chips.

Fitting changes more than the look. A lower front lip reduces ground clearance, so take ramps and kerbs at an angle. Bonnet pins and quarter-turn fasteners need holes in the panel, so check what sits behind it before you drill. Many circuits and race series ask for a towing point front and rear, marked in a bright colour so marshals can find it quickly. A rear wing also shifts the balance of downforce between the axles, so it may need a front lip or splitter to match.