A FORD MARK IV V-6 ZODIAC MADE IN BRITAIN HAS CAPTURED EIGHT INTERNATIONAL HIGH SPEED ENDURANCE RECORDS FOR CARS BETWEEN TWO AND THREE LITRES. SINCE MIDNIGHT LAST SUNDAY, THE CAR HAS BEEN LAPPING ITALY'S MONZA CIRCUIT AT AVERAGE SPEEDS EXCEEDING 104 MILES (168 KLMS) AN HOUR, AND AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT (SUNDAY) THE LAST OF THE EIGHT RECORDS FELL.

THE ROUND-THE-CLOCK DRIVING WAS MAINTAINED BY A TEAM OF FIVE DRIVERS WORKING THREE-HOUR SHIFTS. THE AVERAGE SPEED OF ABOUT 104 MILES AND HOUR BROKE PREVIOUS RECORD SPEEDS - ALL UNDER 100 MILES AN HOUR - FOR 15,000 KILOMETRES, 10,000 MILES, FOUR DAYS, 20,000 KILOMETRES, FIVE DAYS, 15,000 MILES, SIX DAYS, AND 25,000 KILOMETRES.

THE FIRST RECORD TO FALL, FOR 15,000 KLMS, WAS ACHIEVED AT AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 105.27 MILES AN HOUR - COMPARED WITH 97.04 MILES AND HOUR FOR THE PREVIOUS RECORD. THE LAST RECORD, FOR 25,000 KLMS, WAS ACHIEVED WITH A SPEED OF 104.12 MILES AN HOUR - COMPARED WITH 78.24 MILES AN HOUR. ALL EIGHT RECORDS ARE SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATION.