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Peugeot 403 Cabriolet — 1959

Open air with a French elegance. A luxury cabriolet derived from a daily driver of that time. An irresistible car in many respects.

Peter Sundfeldt
Inspector
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"An older rebuild still in great shape and pristine condition. Simply fantastic."

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485 500SEK
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11755
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Peter Sundfeldt
Inspector
Send message

"An older rebuild still in great shape and pristine condition. Simply fantastic."

Description

This car was sold as new in Sweden 1959 with a full CV of owners, the longest one from 1974 to 2008 The last technical inspection was done in 2018 at 68 000 km's
Same model and year as the scruffy car featured in 1970's American television series Columbo. The 403 cabriolets was a luxury version of the big time-seller 403 sedan. Only 500 units were built in 1959 with few survivors today. 2-3 of them found their way to Sweden.

Technical data

  • Year
    1959/1959 
  • Registration date
    1972-10-27 
  • Mileage
    68678 km 
  • Kw / hp
    44 / 60 
  • Fuel Type
    Petrol 
  • Transmission
    Manual 
  • Interior finish
    Light tan leather 
  • Colour
    Green metallic 

Condition

  • Mechanical condition:

    Flawless function in engine and drivetrain.

  • Interior condition:

    Very good condition, hardly any wear and tear after the rebuild.

  • Exterior condition:

    High quality paintwork still in a pristine condition apart from a few scratches on the boot lid.

  • General condition:

    This is simply a wonderful car with a lovely attitude that only a big French cabriolet can provide to the owner and tout le monde.

MOT (tech. insp.)

Fordonsstatus: Avst 2018-07-02
Ursprungsbesiktning: 1972-10-27 (regbes)
Datum i trafik första gången: 1972-10-27
Besiktigad tom: -
Senast godkända besiktning: 2018-05-09
Körförbud: Nej
Skattebefriad: Ja
Årsskatt: -
Antal ägare: 5

Facts about the model

History of the Columbo car and the model 403 Grande Luxe Cabriolet

Columbo's car is a major "character" in the series, a supporting player almost as familiar and beloved as the Lieutenant himself.

Columbo's car, somewhat like his dog,  is both a co-star and a sort of alter ego:   battered and unbeautiful, eccentric and woeful looking, but still a classic. 

The car is also one of Columbo's many devices of deception: murderers take one look at the car, and assume that only a fool would own such a relic.  As always, they are wrong.
Like its human owner, the little Peugeot is a veteran -- it goes the distance and shows no signs of being ready to retire.  Man and machine, both a little wrinkled, a little wheezy and out-of-shape, but still on the job and getting it done.  Appearances can be misleading, and no one should underestimate this plucky pair, the cop or his car -- they seem a little quirky, but they will persist and prevail.
But for all of its importance to "Columbo", very little is known today about the automotive actor that plays this crucial, long-running "role".  So, in order to shed more light on Columbo's mighty Peugeot, we have obtained some vintage original documentation about this vehicle. Here is what we found.

History
The Peugeot family, who still control the company that bears their name (the ads say it's prounounced "POOH-jo"), began as ironmongers.  They sold a successful line of tools, coffee mills, umbrella spikes and corsetry before they got into the automobile business in 1876.

Early accomplishments for the Peugeot cars included the first journey across France by petrol car in 1891, the first sale of a petrol car to a private customer in France, and race-car victories at Paris-Rouen (1894), Paris-Bourdeaux (1895), and in America at the Indianapolis 500 (1913) and the Vanderbilt Cup (1915), among others.

In 1910 the company opened its plant at Sochaux, France, where the cars are still made today. Columbo's car, the Peugeot 403, was introduced in 1955, selling in England for 1,129 pounds.  It was an immediate best seller.
Most of the 403s were 4-door sedans, and a station wagon was also available. 
The 2-door convertible was far more rare -- according to "Parade" magazine,
only 504 were manufactured in 1959.  When Columbo claims that his car is
"very rare," that is the truth.  No wonder information about the convertible is so hard to come by -- but it was basically the same car as the sedan.


Columbo's car is a Peugeot model 403 Grande Luxe Cabriolet (convertible),
manufactured in Sochaux, France, by "SA Des Automobiles Peugeot".  Different sources identify it as a 1959 or a 1960 -- probably there is one of each, including the original and the stand-in cars. This model was virtually unchanged between 1958 and 1965.
Here are some examples of how Peugeot advertised itself in those days:
"One of the 7 best made cars in the world," the 403 was marketed as a "Sportsedan".  The 403 was not touted as extravagant looking or flamboyant -- rather, the ads boast of "no fins, no excessive trim, no strange shapes". 
Yet even the hard-topped 4-door version of the 403 was distinguished by an exotic sliding sun roof -- this was a car for a family man who still had a sense of adventure!!
And at a base price of  $2,250.00 (American, which included shipping costs and import taxes),  this was a great investment in European style and substance.
According to one ad, "The Peugeot's nickname is The Indestructible. 
What more is there to say?"

Exactly right

Options
The 403 boasted such "extras" as  available white-wall tires, heater-defroster,
padded dashboard, reclining seats, electric clock, windshield washers, trip
mileage counter and "an outside rear view mirror," as well as dual tone horns
(have we ever heard Columbo use that?), and dual padded sun visors.
However, Peugeot points out that "The one thing we don't supply with every
Peugeot is a radio.  We don't make radios."
Ah, but Columbo's own vehicle did have a radio installed -- going that extra mile for a touch of luxury!

Engine
"This French-built car is powered by a 4-cylinder, in-line engine of "I" head design, with hemispherical combustion chambers.  It has a conventionally mounted camshaft, operating the valves by means of push rods and rocker arms.  The cylinder sleeves are replaceable, wet-type liners.  The transmission is a four-forward speed unit, synchronized in all forward speeds.  The drive is through a torque tube, ending in an unusual worm-screw and worm-wheel type differential."

Source: http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/inside.htm

Location and viewing Information

For viewing the vehicle, contact the owner.

phone: +46 708 30 45 43

Pick up

Collecting of vehicles, you need to book a collection time by calling our customer service +46 31 933 331 or Shaun Major +46 709 72 40 07

Once your payments have been cleared via our bank, we will send a confirmation to your email address and you can arrange a collection time.

Auction information

General information about the condition of the vehicles .
  • For this auction the cars are not declared as vehicles of daily/normal usage, rather they are described from a collecting perspective.
Important to know before placing your bids!
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  • You will be fully refunded, including the bidding fee, if you at the time of inspection and delivery is of the opinion that the description of the item does not match its real condition.
  • You will be debited the bidding fee if you do not inspect the item at its place of delivery.

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