text: A classic Aston Martin once owned by Spartacus star Peter Ustinov is set to fetch more than £1million at auction - twice what it fetched four years ago. The actor bought the Aston Martin DB4 Cabriolet in 1962, shortly after winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Batiatus in Spartacus. It was one of the most luxurious cars of its day, costing £4,000 and was delivered to him at a Swiss hotel at a time when the average house price in Britain was just £2,500. The Aston Martin DB4 Cabriolet once belonged to actor Peter Ustinov and is expected to fetch £1million when it goes up for auction at Bonhams. That's more than twice what it cost just four years ago . A collectors piece: These pictures show the prestigious Aston Martin logo on the bonnet, left, a trademark of the elite brand, and an absolutely spotless stylish leather trim, left, that once seated Peter Ustinov . The fast lane: The car cost £4,000 in 1962 when the average house price in Britain was just £2,500 . Quick sale: The 3.7-litre engine produced 240bhp. It went 0-60mph in nine seconds and had a top speed of 140mph. This was one of the fastest cars of the era so attracted interest from the rich and famous . Listed: The car is expected to attract £1million - more than double the £431,200 it sold for four years ago . And while the average UK home is now £177,000, the value of Ustinov’s Aston has rocketed even more and is expected to sell for around £1 million next month. This is £570,000 MORE than the price paid for the Aston Martin when it was sold at a London auction in 2011. Engineers had fitted the car with a 3.7-litre engine developing around 240bhp, giving it a 0-60mph time of nine seconds and a top speed of 140mph. Perfect form: The DB4 was considered one of the most beautiful and luxurious cars of its day . Ustinov, left, bought the car shortly after winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Spartacus . I am Spartacus: Star Kirk Douglas, centre right, plays a gladiator who takes on the Roman Empire in the 1960 Stanley Kubrick film. Ustinov, centre left, plays the owner of a Gladiator school where Spartacus and a number of followers escape from. It led to a slave rebellion known as the Third Servile War . It was the first Aston Martin to be produced in Newton Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, which is where it will go on sale at Bonhams auction house on May 9 at the annual Aston Martin sale. The car went down well with critics, with Motors magazine praising its “high quality, exceptional performance, lavish finishing”. They called it “a great British product, benefiting from the styling input of Touring of Milan”. It is not known how long Ustinov owned the Aston Martin, but it had two more owners before being bought by British race car driver David Piper, who sold it in 1984. The radio on the inside, left, is still spotless and the 53-year-old car cuts a dash from behind, right . Aston Martin started on the DB4 in 1956 at the same time as the slightly older DB3 . It was launched to great fanfare and praise in 1958 at the London Motor show . Its most impressive feature was its power. With a 3.7-litre engine that produced 240bhp, it could go 0-60 in nine seconds and had a top speed of 140mph . It claimed to go from 0-100mph in just 21 seconds, making it a serious competitor to luxury European brands like Ferrari and Porsche . Though the body was designed by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, the DB4 was the first to be built at the company's Newport Pagnell works in Buckinghamshire . As well as the Mini, Michael Caine drove a DB4 convertible in The Italian Job .
target: DB4 put British cars back on map going 140mph and 0-60 in nine seconds .
  Bought in 1962 after Ustinov won best supporting actor Oscar for Spartacus .
  Great British movie star was loved TV personality until his death in 2004 .
  Car set to sell for double what it fetched at auction when sold four years ago .