A front section of a motor vehicle body encompasses a bumper and bumper bracket that are designed to retreat during a collision while absorbing energy and momentum, a fresh air passage and a sealing element situated behind the bumper for modulating the throughput of the fresh air passage, which can be dragged along by the retreating bumper or bumper bracket. The sealing element has situated upstream from it a gap that allows the bumper and bumper bracket to retreat without simultaneously taking the sealing element with it.