A row of Ford Mavericks is the first thing I remember walking by (all having a floor shifter to be easily operated by driver as well as the instructor) then Escorts & Tempos years later when I took drivers ed (by that time everything had the gear shift mounted on the floor) and I would guess floor shifter-equipped Ford Fairmonts were used in between...
As for the Escorts, three of each were used on the range, one on the road, while also for the Tempos, one on the range and three on the road... (I was in the oddball group who got the one Escort & one Tempo opposite of the three in the latter courses)
I won't get into any details about how I did in driver's ed, though I probably just did, as that was the first time, (I attended the 2nd session, I wasn't ready for the 1st, I turned down an offer to switch to if "Big Brandy" was going to be in the class & deviate my concentration, so I had "Li'l Babbie" to really test keeping my concentration level intact) I took it, then the 2nd time, we may have just only driven Ford Tempos, I somehow don't remember...
But "Surprise!", that 2nd time on the last day of the course (this time Attended the 1st session,sot hey would let me retake it 2nd if I didn't pass) the instructor said "I am passing you", though I think he had to hit that passenger side brake as I was backing out (slowly, and cautiously, though) and the "Needs Help" I had previously gotten on my report card (among other things, though made "Poor" on others) made my only "Excellent", while I got the middle, and next-highest marks on the rest of the criteria...
Some of the instructors were our teachers who voluntarily worked during the Summer, others you only saw and had during the course and you had one that taught the class and the range, while a different one was your instructor on the road...
So my first time I had an instructor in the classroom and range (who made me retake a required test, we were all supposed to pass, of which I memorized the letters in the multiple-choice of the answer to, as opposed to the "How are supposed to study?" he asked me, when I didn't comprehensively write word-for-word, what he wanted) and the road instructor, who were both exclusively drivers ed teachers (& the road instructor, though rather tough and easily flunked me, I sadly read about him passing away, a few years back)...
While the second time, the class & range was my gym teacher (at just at the elementary school I attended in 3rd grade) who had gone right on to being the high school athletic coach, soI frequently saw him from the time I attended HS in 9th grade, on... And it being a small world, he frequently shopped at the store I used to work at, and coincidentally his two granddaughters attended the same overnight camp, that my daughter went to saw we saw each other there at least dropping out girls off, but somehow not picking them up...
The road instructor I had was notoriously tough on one friend of mine in school, a couple grades older than I was but at leastI'd passed, whereas that first time my classmate had taken driver's ed, it was his last, so he'd flunked & just didn't drive (only walked & took the bus every where) but maybe given that I hadn't seen him in a number of years, probably just went ahead going to his local Secretary of State & took an exam; don't know...
One gal across the street, who'd similarly took driver's ed two-times like I did & flunked both times, hired Sears to teach her to drive, around the first time I was taking driver's ed in school, and fortunately that time passed... I think with the way Ford does sponsor drivers ed courses, she may have driven an Escort as well, and I don't know if our dealer that provided the cars at the school offered a discount for buying its cars, I probably should have enquired...
These days, I don't think any school districts offer drivers ed courses, if you want to learn to drive, you have to hire the one of many companies & private services, that I see their cars of on the road...
-- Dave
