If you put together a list of the all-time great questions, this one would have to be right up there.

What  would happen  if you  sent  a Cortina  Mk 1  down a bobsleigh run?

Motor  racing  history  is the answer — as you can see in this  timeless video clip, from 1964.

Filmed at the  aptly-named  Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites,  the iconic models are  put through their paces in the toughest  conditions  by  the  auto  stars  of the day,  many of whom  became  racing  legends.

The cars hit speeds of  more than  50 mph (around  80 km/h) on the 1,720-metre run —  despite, on occasions,  having  less than  15 cm of clearance.

Ice, speed, and history — all in under two minutes.  Enjoy!

Jay Ward is director of global Ford Racing motorsport communications