Eriba

Anyone who has seen an Eriba caravan cannot fail to notice the the similarities with the Eriba-Car.
The Eriba caravans were designed by aircraft engineers Erwin Hymer and Erich Bachem.
The agreement was that Hymer would make the caravans and Bachem would market them,
the name for the product was taken from Erich Bachem's name - Eriba.
Erich died just three years after production started but Hymer continued to make the caravans and kept
the name alive, eventually producing motorhomes as well as caravans under the Eriba name.
Eriba-Car 580

The model featured here is the Eriba-Car 580
it's little sister is the Eriba-Car 530.
The 530 and 580 models are basically similar, the 530 is two berth while the 580 is some 18" longer and has an extra single bed.


The low profile aluminium coachwork is built on a steel superstructure which alleviates the problem of damp/rot in the wooden frame that many coachbuilts suffer from.

They have a GRP roof with an elevating section to give a standing height of 6'3" under the elevated section. This I feel is the Eriba-Car's only downfall, I am 5'9" and the ceiling feels decidedly low - perhaps it's just me?
Eribas are very well equipped and have double glazing, blown air heating, shower room, rear lounge and an interior sprung double bed measuring 6'3" x 4'7" the 580 model's single bed measures 6'4" x 2'0"
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Eriba Jet
A Class vans almost always have a ready made up double bed stored in the cab roof area. At bedtime it is lowered on a cantilever mechanism into it's sleeping position

The Eriba JET is an "A" Classs van. This means that the whole bodywork is made by by converter (Eriba in this case) whereas on a Coachbuilt van the cab area is supplied by the chassis supplier (Renault)
There are two lounge areas - one at each end.
The cab seats swivel round to supplement the two inward facing seats behind, to make a front lounge

The 'dining room' at the rear is a U-shaped design with a free-standing table. The area is light and airy with double-glazed opening windows all around.

There are five high-level lockers, with doors that stay up when opened, around the rear of the van.
Between the side door and the rear dinette is the kitchen unit.Here the the worktops are lifted to reveal a stainless steel two-burner cooker and sink combination unit. The sink cover can be hinged over through 180° to provide extra worktop space, and the units are at a good working height. Beneath the cooker is a large Electrolux RM270 'fridge, with freezer compartment, while below the sink are a power-point, a cutlery drawer, and a cupboard with a small bin on the inside of its door.
At night the Eriba-Jet will accommodate five adults. At the front end of the 'van, there is the usual 'A' Class pull-down double. The bed swings down bringing its own curtains with it.

Below the drop-down bed is a single which is quickly made up from the two inward facing seats that make up the front dinette.

Finally, the rear table can be lowered and the rear dinette cushions fall into place to make the second and larger double.

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