Blackout wrote:http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/6397/o3q7849.jpg
the metallic piece is not a flattened exhaust outlet or a connection but a kind of nozzle. The pipe is hidden behind the bodywork and the exhaust gazes are blown through that 'nozzle'. Original.
Blackout wrote: A venturi effect
I think its aim is to accelerate the gazes, not to protect the wishbones or the tires. IMO, the protection is provided by the vertical metallic vanes on the floor and by the multy layer skin aroud the wishbones.