Yesterday a friend showed me his Raleigh Competition which he purchased new, he thinks around '73. He seemed certain it is not a Mk. II. After a bit of searching it remains unclear to me if there was a Competition model sold in the U.S. that preceded the Mk. II. Does someone here know the answer?

His bike has original black paint and tubular tires. Closer inspection was not possible as the bike is virtually entombed behind other stored things. Nonetheless it was neat to see and a bit like an archaeological dig.