Found it! Such a shame to read the tale. I had in the back of my mind some wicked plan (small miracle permitting) to find the Colombo car for the 2006 NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham.
Mat, sounds like you found the Scrapbook article "Death of a Columbo Car" -- and we're proud to have that insider report, from somebody with first-hand knowledge and a great story to tell.
But, the whole story is more complicated. See, for example, the Scrapbook article about Columbo's car at Universal -- featuring a rare, recent photo of TWO of Columbo's Peugeots in the parking lot of the studio.
I'm always on the lookout for a Columbo car sitting along the side of a road, or in an abandoned junk yard (but near the road) somewhere here in the northern Illinois area. Saw something that came close once, but it was an old Volvo (if I remember correctly!)