ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars is set to leave the town where its first engines were built and tested, as its showroom moves to Wilmslow along with McLaren.

The Rolls-Royce dealership moved from Canute Place to Manchester Road in 2011 – replaced by McLaren – but will now swap the town for Wilmslow and a new ‘super-luxury’ dealership.

The McLaren showroom will also be packing up and leaving Knutsford, relocating to the Deanway Technology Centre in Handforth.

Co-founder Sir Henry Royce lived at Brae Cottage in Legh Road as the motoring giant took shape in the early 1900s, and the company has historically enjoyed a presence in the town.

Knutsford’s links to Rolls-Royce have drawn in tourists for a number of years, with traditions and anniversaries frequently honoured with motorcades and exhibitions featuring the world-renowned brand.

Having moved into town in 1898, engineer Royce met Charles Rolls at the Midland Hotel in Manchester before moving away in 1908.

Rolls-Royce Manchester previously occupied the showroom in Canute Place before making way for fellow Sytner Group dealership McLaren in 2011, when it moved next door to Jaguar Land Rover in Manchester Road.

The new, two-storey Wilmslow location will feature a private bar, fine dining terrace and fully landscaped grounds, and is due to open in the first quarter of 2018 – coinciding with the arrival of the new Phantom – under the management of Sytner Group.

James Crichton, regional director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “We manage our showroom locations with tremendous care and precision.

“We are thrilled that our north west presence in the brand’s robust domestic market will relocate to this highly desirable region.

“This will help us continue to meet customers’ expectations of unmatched service befitting of our super-luxury motor cars.”

Jon Crossley, managing director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Manchester, said: “We are excited to move to this exclusive location and welcome new and existing customers across the north west of England.

“This elegant location will be a true flagship for the Sytner Group as well as a hub for the business, allowing us to continue delivering the unparalleled service that Rolls-Royce is famous for.”

Part of the Sytner group, the McLaren Manchester showroom has become something of a tourist attraction in Knutsford, located off Canute Roundabout.

More practically, it is the only approved McLaren sales and service centre between Birmingham and Glasgow.

But after thousands of fingerprint smears on the windows and photos taken of the sparkling supercars, the dealership – just the third in the UK when it opened more than six years ago – is ‘on the grid’ and ready to go.