Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
My understanding from what was written by a former Lambert/Viscount employee on the Classic Rendezvous list is that Lambert was far over its head in debt when Yamaha purchased its assets and changed the name to Viscount. Yamaha kept the operation in England going until all the old stock in England was depleted, then moved production to Japan, and then lost interest and let the brand die.
Actually, Yamaha never purchased Viscount, but rather became their U.S. distributor. Primarily a motorcycle company, they wanted to be part of the "bike boom".