It's the ultimate pub trivia question: how many types of vehicles does Lotus build? The "expert on everything" in the corner with the diamond acrylic jumper will undoubtedly know about the bicycle which brought Brit Chris Boardman to gold in the 1992 Olympics.
He may even remember the boat called the Marauder back in the 1970s. Then there were the beautiful black Grand Prix cars, one topped with the bright yellow helmet of a certain Brazilian. But the chance of him reaching the actual total of 119 before he comes to the end of his Babycham is remote.
Despite the spreadsheets and business lingo of the suits and moneymen who now rule the car industry and who still wait for it to turn a decent profit, it's heartening to come upon a company that prides itself so strongly on engineering. It's an ethos that harks back to the founding of Lotus 56 years ago and the principles applied by the father of the brand, Colin Chapman, an engineer and avid racer.
The racer decreed that the brand would mean lightweight performance and exceptional handling and ride. The engineer made it happen.
Despite the Irish interest in cars and our proximity to the Norfolk factory, there's never been a dealership here, apart from Agnew's in Belfast. Now, after years of being a private import, with an estimated 200 on the roads here at the moment, the sports marque is finally displaying its wares in Dublin.
For most fans, it will always be about sports cars. Its heritage includes a role call of one-time Lotus drivers that reads like a Who's Who of motorsport, among them Jim Clark, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna. Stirling Moss and more recent stars such as Mikka Hakkinon spent time behind a Lotus wheel on the track.
A Lotus last raced in a Grand Prix in 1994, but the marque remains the fourth most successful team in Formula One history. It even managed a World Rally Championship title for good measure, the Lotus Sunbeam winning in 1981.
Another side of Lotus is less well-known but just as important to its finances. Its engineering work for outside clients has seen the development not just of well-publicised deals with Opel to build the Speedster sportscar, but more secretive work on mainstream cars from brands as diverse as Aston Martin, Ford and Toyota.
Lotus engineers may be coy about whom they work with for fear of upsetting big paying customers who like to claim all the glory for themselves, but they can now boast that of all the new cars sold in Europe this year, 15 per cent will carry some element built or created by Lotus. That's a spectacular achievement for a small private company fighting against the giants.
A look over its history explains its pedigree. Lotus was created by a man with an incredible passion for motoring and engineering. Chapman's aim, through fine engineering, was a company that could produce a car which offered performance, was fun to drive, yet innovative compared to competitors.
These criteria brought forth the likes of the Elan, Esprit and now the Elise range. It's a heritage that sparkles with trophies, stylish cars and even the odd boat and bicycle. The common cause in all these ventures is lightweight performance.
But enough of engineering. While owners will undoubtedly treasure the Lotus heritage, their foremost interest will be in on-the-road antics. And it's there that the car comes alive.
For a real-life example of the principles in practise, take a look at the mid-engined Elise. With weight spread across the aluminium chassis and the four wheels positioned at corner's edge, the end result is a little charger with the track performance of a Caterham.
There are two models on offer - the 111S and 111R (the numerals are pronounced one-eleven). Parked side-to-side they're effectively impossible to tell apart. However, beneath the body panels lies a 156bhp 1.8-litre Rover engine in the S and a 189 bhp 1.8-litre VVT-i unit from Toyota in the R. In terms of performance, the difference in 0-62mph times is miniscule - 5.3 seconds for the S and 5.2 seconds for the R. Top speeds are 132 mph for the S and 150 mph for the R.
They say that on the road there's apparently no noticeable difference - except of course the €10,000 price difference. It's on the track that the R starts to shine, revving to over 8,000 rpm compared to the 7,000 rpm S, and with more pronounced steering.
So we really had no choice but to put both cars to the test at Mondello, where the autumnal silence was shredded by the screech of tyres and the scream of an engine living on the redline. Not that our driving style - or lack thereof - could really put the car to the test. For the first few laps we took to the passenger seat and travelled sideways around the track with Lotus test driver and vehicle development engineer, Gavan Kershaw. Every straight was met with full throttle, every corner with screeching tyres. Then it was our turn, and even then we could notice the difference, and it was more than 0.1 of a second.
The S seems more forgiving, though we did take a detour into the gravel at one point, thanks largely to poor memories of exactly how quick the Dunlop corner at Mondello comes upon you and some understeer on the car's part. In fairness, the slight understeer on the S is more forgiving than great swathes of oversteer, and many new owners will appreciate it. But the R is more passionate. It urges you on and you live in a high-revving world where gravity seems to be battling with reality as the car seems to glue itself to the racing line without the slightest hint of body roll.
Available in hard-top and soft-top, we'd always advise the harder option, given the unpleasant climate we live in and Lotus's previous reputation for rather leaky roofs. Newly appointed dealer, Linders of Chapelizod, is confident of 50 sales this year. That's significant for a €50,000 two-seater which offers immense fun, if rather limited practicality.
Linders' close links with Toyota - it was one of the first dealers appointed back in 1973 - holds it in good stead for servicing, and a team of three will initially work to build up the Lotus name and create a collegiate atmosphere amongst owners, part of which will include an active owner's club, featuring events such as track days and trips.
In the meantime it's all about introducing the public to the brand. The arrival of the Exige next year will complete the trio of Lotus variants on sale at present, while we await the arrival of a new mid-engined supercar, set to replace the Esprit, which finally ended production last February.