My lessons were in an Alpha Sud and a Toyota Starlet. I took my test in Bootle, in 1989, in a diamond white xr3i. All was going well until a dog ran out in front of the car and I stopped (perfect emergency stop) and the Instuctor told me off!!
Those that know me will not be surprised to hear that I gave as good as I got. The conversation went roughly thus:
Instructor - you should not have stopped for the dog.
Me - I'd slam on for a bird mate, I'm not killing anything!
Instructor - The car behind you has shunted you from the rear because of it.
Me - His own feckin fault for being so bloody close in the first place!!
Instructor - the children in the back have gone through your windscreen (it wasn't law to have rear seatbelts on back then)
Me - I wouldn't have bloody kids in the car, I hate them - crawling squawking sh!t machines!! Have I failed then??
Instructor - lets just go back to the test centre.
Me - *put my foot down*
He was white by the time we got back to the centre

I've not taken it again since.