Mayberry Tribute! 1960 Ford Fairlane Squad Car

Back in the day, cars were an important part of television shows. In fact, they were sometimes cast members in their own right. Case in point is the “squad car” from The Andy Griffith Show, which ran from 1960 to 1968. Every year, they had a new “black and white,” each provided by Ford Motor Co. For the first season, it was a 1960 Fairlane 4-door sedan, likely in base trim. The seller has a recreation of the Andy/Barney car from that year of the show, and it appears to be detailed correctly. Located in Hamilton, Ohio, this Andy Griffith Special is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $12,000.

Andy Taylor and Barney Fife were the sheriff and deputy in fictional Mayberry, North Carolina, in the 1960s. We understand that Mayberry was patterned after Andy Griffith’s own hometown of Mount Airy. They have a museum dedicated to him there, along with a diner, barber shop, and gas station, just like in the show. And every Fall, they host Mayberry Days, which seems to be quite popular with fans. Attractions include rides in Mayberry tribute cars like this one. T.J. gets the eagle-eye award for this cool tip!

You’d probably have to set your DVR to record the TV show and study each episode to see if they missed any fine points in creating this Mayberry Sheriff’s Office squad car. This one is a Fairlane from 1960 that has the batwing look of the full-size Chevies from that model year. We don’t know what engine would have been in Andy’s car, but this one has a 390 cubic inch V8 with a 2-barrel, which should be ample to go after moonshiners. The seller is undecided as to whether this car has an automatic transmission or “3 on the tree” (I don’t think Andy had to shift any gears).

As best as we can tell, this Ford runs and drives well, and the police light bar works, so don’t get yourself into any trouble with the real law. We’re told there’s a teeny amount of rust on the doors and quarter panels, but not enough to prevent you from making the rounds in Mayberry after they roll up the sidewalks at night. As Barney would say, “Nip it, nip it in the bud”!