When you say the stoneguard profile looks different Colin, do you mean it looks different to the publicity pics of the model, or different from the stoneguard on the standard Tourings?

As far as I can tell they look about the same as current new standard Tourings, coming about just over halfway up the front gas locker panel. Older model two tone Tourings looked as if the stoneguard was higher but it was an optical illusion because the silver and white above swept around the front of the vans and broke up the top half of the panel, making the silver bit look smaller and therefore as if the stoneguard went higher.

On these coloured top vans and the 60th Editions the top paint finishes at the waist rail, whereas on the old white/silver vans the top white paint extended 6ins or so below the mid-rail. In my view that made a lot of difference to the way the van looked.

Having said that I saw a 60th at Adventure Leisure last Thursday and I was impressed with its external appearance. However they're a bit underwhelming in photographs because the grey vinyl in the mid rail doesn't provide an interesting contrast like the white and later red contrast vinyls give.

I see what you mean in that picture taken in a barn or something.

There seems to be several oddities about these models with vans delivered to Continental dealers having blue paint that's several shades darker than the PR shots. The original pics were a skyblue and the delivered vans were royal blue. I think if I'd ordered one on the basis of the lighter colour I'd be somewhat miffed if the real thing was substantially different. Unlike Hymer who are usually punctilious about such things.

And for the record I think those large stoneguards are ugly and haven't even been cut with a flowing line that is a basic Eriba Touring design tenet.

I'd be too afraid of all The white upholstery inside...... wouldn't let the other half loose with a glass of red wine.....or me either

..........that’s nice!

This pic is of a 530I 2018 MY with a 60 directly behind. Looks like the stone guard on the 60 is either just part of the paint scheme and not really a stone guard or it is a stone guard and is much bigger than the one on the 530I

Makes you think.......
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The 60's that I've seen have the larger stone guard as do the ones pictured on AL's website on their 60 Edition page. However the 60 Edition 430 in Beck's stock list has the smaller size but the Adventure Leisure stock 60 430 has the larger size.

The Lowdham's stock list shows large guards on both 530 and 430 whilst the 'Colour' model pic shows it fitted with the smaller version, though it is just a Hymer publicity pic, not a delivered van.

So it seems like there's no hard and fast rule, unless all recent vans are getting the large version and it changed at some point late last year with no announcement.

Reminds me of Adria motorhomes a few years back where silver cab vans were leaving the Adria factory with radiator cowlings in gold and vice versa. One dealer said to me that they felt lucky if the Ducato cab door colours matched!!!!

We would have bought one of these had you been able to get one in the 540 layout

Had a look round the one at the NEC caravan show in february. Not quite sure if all the design choices work.
The red theme looked great as did all the red accents inside. Not sure about the white, shiney kitchen and table surfaces. The white locker doors had a crackled white wood effect I wast 100% on either. Also the faux leather white, diner seats were a touch of kitsch styling too far. If they had held some of these back a bit, they would be on to something. The other niggle is that a fixed bed 530 is the only option. Not everyone wants a fixed bed. Similar problem with the 60th edition - we’d have probably gone with that if there was an option for dinette at both ends. The chap at Automotive Leisure said they have fed that back to Hymer previously as it comes up regularly.

I'm in two minds about the 'specials' only being available in fixed bed versions.

Is it because fixed beds are so popular overall that Hymer don't consider it worth offering them in the alternative. Or is it that the fixed bed versions don't sell as well as they'd like and building the 'specials' in them gives their sales a push?

All things being equal you'd think some 'specials' would be offered in fixed and some not, but it doesn't seem to work that way.

Interestingly this is another area where Eriba are different to WWB manufacturers in the variety of the offer both in size and in alternative layout content. I can't imagine Coachman or any UK producer offering a choice of fixed bed or lounge on several different layouts, even though their vans, generally, have the space for such flexibility.