helped at all by the increased weight at the front of the car. The handling was most bitterly criticised in the USA, an important export market for Triumph, where they were traditionally very strong. Similar criticism was being levelled at the Vitesse saloon, which shared the GT6's engine and its handling problems. GT6 Mk II (GT6+) Triumph realised that they needed to find an answer to the handling problem, if only to maintain their reputation in the U.S. Their response came with the 1969 model year, with the introduction of the GT6 Mk II, branded in North America as the GT6+. The rear suspension was significantly re-engineered using reversed lower wishbones and Rotoflex driveshaft couplings, taming the handling and turning the Triumph into an MGB beater. The Vitesse was also modified, but the Spitfire had to wait until 1971's Mk IV for any improvements to be made. There were other changes for the Mk II; the front bumper was raised (in common with the Spitfire Mk 3) to conform to new crash regulations, necessitating a revised front end, and side vents were added to the front wings and rear pillars. Under the bonnet, the engine was the uprated Vitesse MkII unit developing with a new cylinder head, camshaft, and manifolds. The major changes were altered valve timing and larger inlet valves, with an increase to the width of the head. Performance improved slightly to , but perhaps more noteworthy the time dropped to 10 seconds. The fuel economy was also improved to average. Overdrive remained a popular option for the manual transmission with the same specifications as the Mk I. Braking was updated to a dual circuit system with tandem master cylinder and emission systems began to appear in markets that mandated them. The early emission systems consisted of a diaphragm type EGR valve, carbon canister and evaporation lines and were used on other cars of the period. The gas cap was changed to a self-sealing magnetic design. The interior was updated with a new 'non-reflective' 'anti-dazzle' walnut finish dashboard and gauges with 'black rimmed instruments'. Gone were the chrome toggle switches that festooned earlier models, having been replaced with smart non-reflective black rocker switches in keeping with the anti-glare theme. Headliners and matching sun visors were shipped in black and white, with white being the dominant colour in North America presumably an attempt to tame the beastly interior heat