After a few hits, the luminance declines until finally your light goes out. And the game keeps track of damage to location. That is, only one headlight may be damaged to the point of not working. Likewise, taking damage to the front of the car puts some dings in the hood. The roadside graphics are abundant.
Races take place in several locales, and each has graphics suited for the geography.
For example, there is a course in Japan, and the Japanese architecture is commonplace. In addition, parts of the course run through a downtown district. Shops that litter the landscape have unique designs. There are a few racing circuits in the game, and those are graphical delights. The garage area has an incredible amount of detail.