Wow! That looks like a near miss. What a nice letter and keepsake! It would probably have been a very interesting job if they could have hired you. Things started turning around in the US - and in England too, I suspect - in 1982 so you might have had a better shot if you had been able to wait. On the other hand, Lotus' fortunes have always been pretty sketchy that it might not have been the most stable employment situation.