The Peugeot 403 convertible made its debut at the 1956 Paris Motor Show. Visitors were overwhelmed by its marriage of Italian class with French elegance. The body styling was done by the legendary experts at Pininfarina. Typical for the pontoon form were the bulge on the hood and the suggestion of fins at the rear with the vertical rear lights. In total some 1.2 million Peugeot 403s were built --- although only 2,000 of them were convertibles. Probably the most famous one was the car driven by Peter Falk in his role as lieutenant Columbo.