A century ago Huddersfield was renowned as the Rolls-Royce capital of the world.

Thanks in part to coachbuilder Rippon Bros, there were more of the posh motors per head of population in Huddersfield than anywhere else in the world.

Rippon Bros, which had a factory in Viaduct Street where Tesco is now, shut down in 1970 but now, 45 years later and the other side of the Ring Road, there are two of the iconic marque’s prestige cars on show.

One of them, the Rolls-Royce Wraith, with an asking price of a staggering £219,995 stands gleaming in the £2m showrooms of Shak’s Specialist Cars in Northgate.

The stunning motor – described as the “most potent and technologically advanced Rolls-Royce in history” – stands alongside a black and silver Rolls-Royce Ghost, a snip at just £129,995.

Shak’s boss Shak Shah, 34, who founded his business in Birkby in 2006, has a passion for cars and the history isn’t lost on him.

“Rolls-Royces were made in Huddersfield, not far from here,” said Shak. “And we are bringing Rolls-Royces back to Huddersfield. No one else has cars like these.”

The twin-turbo V12 Rolls-Royce Wraith is the fastest Rolls ever and is described by the manufacturer as a “debonair gentleman’s GT.”

While the Wraith might suit an unflappable gent in a hurry, there is a more brash – yet surprisingly refined – motor at Shak’s for the same money.

If the Roller’s too under-stated what about a rosso mars red Lamborghini Huracan LP610?

It’s only a month old and has just 1,500 miles on the clock. It’ll do a restricted 145mph around Huddersfield (sorry, officer) or 240mph on the autobahns of Germany.

If you’re lucky you might stretch it to 13mpg on the school run.

In all Shak has around £3m-worth of supercars in stock ranging from Bentleys to Ferraris, Porsches to BMWs.

He started out as a one-man operation selling imported Japanese cars and quickly grew his business. He was forced to look for a new site after his rented showroom in Birkby Hall Road, Birkby, was set to go to make way for a new Sainsbury’s Local store.

He bought the prominent old United Carpets premises in Northgate and turned it into an upmarket car showroom, investing £2 million.

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While the old showroom remains open pending the outcome of a public inquiry into the store plans the new showroom has attracted much attention from open-mouthed locals and petrolheads alike.

Shak said: “I don’t mind people coming into the showroom to look at the cars or take photographs.

“We get a lot of kids coming in and as far as I am concerned they are my customers of the future. The message is study hard, work hard and one day you might be able to buy one of these.”

Shak, dad to five daughters aged two to 14, has customers from across Britain and overseas and he has several celebrity clients including Premier League footballers.

Shak is now recruiting for 20 new staff with jobs in administration, sales, accounts and servicing. He is currently expanding his workshop to cater for the demands of the supercars and their owners.

“I have been based in Huddersfield since 2006 and I want to give something back,” said Shak. “We want good quality people with or without experience and we are willing to train and invest in the right candidates.

“For me this business is not about the money, it’s about the passion.”

The Lambo: My verdict

I shunned the sedate Roller for a test drive in the brash Lambo.

I got to sit in the perfectly-crafted black and red leather driver’s seat, fire up the engine and send the rev counter spinning.

The roar from the engine brought a smile to my face that wouldn’t wear off.

Sadly, I didn’t get to drive it. I left that to Shak who put pedal to the metal as far as is possible on a circuit around Huddersfield Ring Road on a busy weekday.

Despite its Italian heritage Lamborghini is now owned by Volkswagen of Germany, meaning this is an everyday supercar and not something just for the weekend.

We got the obligatory dirty look from White Van Man as we pulled alongside at traffic lights.

The computer told us that on our test drive we managed an eye-watering 4.5mpg but, as Shak said, if you have to ask about fuel consumption you really can’t afford one.

At £219,995 this is a car for the price of a house. Think I’ll stick with my 12-year-old BMW thanks.