You've heard of Godzilla, and the other Monster Miatas, but have you ever seen a Lexus-powered one? Today's MX5 may be your first time, but does it come with a price that'll make that first time hurt?

Carnivals and traveling circuses would often display - for a price - chimeras. These were things - Yetis or mermaid skeletons - which were often stitched together from who knows what animal sources, and then foisted on a gullible public.

Yesterday's was similarly presented as something it is not, and as it goes with such imagined beasts, its asking price was seen as also being from a fairy tale. As such, that Shelby-lite went down in a massive 94% Crack Pipe loss.

They say that one is a lonely number. When it comes to cars, specifically a one of one like today's

You know that no matter what the question, the answer is always Miata, right? What car should I buy? (Miata) How can we slow the tide of global warming? (Miata) You get the picture. The thing of it is, when it gets around to the question of how to make your MX5 sound and go like an old Mustang, the answer is usually not just Miata, but Miata V8.

Today's is just so equipped, however, instead of the pushrod power of a Ford 302, - which you might expect to be the beating heart under its hood - this one rocks a DOHC 1UZ-FE out of a Lexus.

That all-alloy 32-valve mill is said to have been sourced from a 1992 SC400. In both applications that's 255-horses, and 260 lb-ft of torque. The seller (who goes by the creepy name 'the Watchmaker') says that the installation took two and a half years to complete and that this car is the second one he has undertaken. He also claims to be a type A person, and while I don't know what his blood type has to do with the building of the car, I guess that going to the trouble of including in the facts does indicate just how detail-oriented he is.

Backing up the quad-cam V8 is a Toyota 4-speed automatic and the car is claimed to be set up with all the Lexus emissions controls intact so it should pass even California's stringent tests. Brakes have been upgraded to compensate for the higher power and weight of the new engine, as have the springs and struts, or so says the ad.

Aside from all the mechanical monkeyshines described, the car looks to be trademark first-gen MX5. There's the great pop-up lamps in front, easy-peasey convertible top in the middle, and silver alloys under the refrigerator white paint all around. The interior is also pretty stock, although the presence of the huge Lexus shifter is a bit jarring.

It should be noted that the purchase of the car includes a butt-load of extra parts and 'intellectual property.' The parts include a Toyota 5-speed manual, just in case you want to switch the car to three pedals, and the intellectual property apparently comes on a flash drive.

There's 138,000 miles on the car and the engine is claimed to have had four-grand dumped into its mechanicals before it was introduced to the Mazda. From the pics provided in the ad, everything looks to have been done professionally, and in fact the seller - who is apparently also the builder - says that he is a Master Auto Tech, and is looking to retire and say goodbye to the rat race.

He also wants to say goodbye to this Lexus-fied Miata, and is asking $29,000 for it to find a new home. What's your take on that price for this custom mazda? Is $29,000 the answer to the question, how much should I pay for such a car? Or, in this case is the answer, nope?

You decide!

, or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to MichaelDUtah for the hookup!

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