. The roots of modern body kits go to the beginning of the first part of the 20th century. With the growing popularity of
custom cars in America, many car enthusiasts were looking to alter the appearance of their vehicles in order to improve the performance characteristics or make their car look different from the others as a styling statement.
Motorsport engineering also influenced the development of vehicle's body modifications, as certain changes in the construction of stock body parts allowed cars to achieve better results in terms of performance. Bumpers with bigger air dams and hood scoops deliver more fresh air to the engine, resulting in better performance output and heat reduction. Wide fenders or bolt-on flares allow fitting wider wheels. Trunk spoilers, bumper lips and bumper splitters reduce or properly distribute the down force, which improves the overall air dynamics of a vehicle. Although originally most popular on cars, body kits are now also offered for SUV and trucks. While some body kits are designed to be functional and improve the performance of a car, others are designed purely for aesthetics. fitted with a
Liberty Walk body kit Factory-fitted body kits have become 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 motorsport divisions to develop styling upgrades (such as
HSV). Examples of well-known aftermarket body kit brands include
Veilside,
Mansory,
NIA Auto Design,
Novitec Group,
Hamann Motorsport,
Liberty Walk and
Rocket Bunny. ==Common body kit components==