Columbo's car matched the personality of Falk’s character, including a bumbling demeanor, not always in clean clothes and constantly smoking. For fans, Columbo and his Peugeot 403 are akin to Pat Brady and his 1946 Jeep “Nellebelle” of the 1950s “Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Show”. The Peugeot never let Columbo down although it was involved in a few on-screen fender benders along the way. Overall, the Peugeot 403 was a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot between May 1955 and October 1966. It was the first Peugeot to exceed one million in auto sale.

As for Peugeot history, Peugeot dates all the way back to 1810 when it manufactured coffee grinders and bicycles. Its first car appeared in 1896 and they’ve been around for at least 124 years. Peugeot purchased Citroen in 1975 and were somewhat successful until they left the U.S. market in 1991 (government and EPA mandates). Peugeot executives have announced recently that it expects to return to U.S. sales as soon as 2023 but no later than 2026.

Peugeot is also famous for its involvement in motorsports. From winning the Indy 500 way back in 1913 to modern day Dakar Rally victories, its biggest wins have been in the 24 Hours of Lemans (1992, 1993 and 2009) in the top LMP1 prototype division. Further, Peugeot has been a Formula 1 engine supplier (1994 to 2000). Future opportunities for the car company appear to be bright. It make sense on paper at least, especially if Peugeot returns to the U.S. car market.

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