You probably know this, but once you have a foot in the door, it usually takes years to 'make it'. My ex knew Neal McCoy when he was in high school, won a local contest sponsored by Wrangler, and became a project. IIRC, it was about 10 years before his first release. I enjoyed listening to him play piano in a Chinese restaurant during the holidays for three years before he made it.
Keep playing and keep the faith.
Forget the Lotus; buy the ranch and find a sponsor to give you a truck - the Lotus front end would never survive the driveway at the ranch 