I fully agree with everything you said.
Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge is the best.
Lotus 2 and 3 are still awesome.
Btw., on the Amiga 500 Lotus 2 is better than Lotus 3 because Lotus 3 doesn't run smooth.
Under WinUAE I prefer Lotus 3 over Lotus 2 because with enabled JIT Lotus 3 runs silky-smooth. And with its 3 billion courses it then beats Lotus 2's eight tracks...
Still Lotus I is my favorite.