Lotus's were quite popular in NYC back in the early 80s. I saw many being ridden in Manhattan on a given Sunday. The models I saw were mid to higher end, on par with any Centurion Iron Man. The lower end models were similar to a Giant road bike that came in the early 90s.
I wouldn't thumb my nose at a Lotus. I wouldn't mind a nice example of one of their road racers for my collection.
The Lotus I'd most want is an Odyssey...their touring bikes were really, really cool.