A car showroom selling sportscars like Ferraris, Porsches and Lambourghinis is set to open in Canal Road.

The dealership, which is owned by Bradford businessman Afzal Khan, is planned to open in around three months' time.

Mr Khan, who set up Auto Design Technics (ADT) in 1991, is spending more than a million pounds on the purpose-built Canal Road site which is currently being constructed.

The business, which started life in an industrial estate off Thornton Road, is relocating from its current Petergate premises, because of the proposed £200million Broadway shopping centre development.

Mr Khan built up his company from scratch and now employs more than 20 people.

The move to the 30,000 sq ft site will mean the firm will take on between five and ten more people.

But there is more to the company than just flash cars.

The towering building which is currently home to his supercar business is actually the headquarters of three companies run by Mr Khan.

ADT is an alloy wheel and bodykit retailing business which imports and customises vehicles to its clients' specifications. He also operates the high-performance car sales company - V12 - and Khan Design, an alloy wheel design company.

All three firms will move to the new site, clearing the way for the immense Petergate landmark to be knocked down in May to make way for the Broadway redevelopment.

Snowar Khan, trade manager at ADT, said: "It's a bit of a pity leaving the city centre, but we are very happy we are getting bigger premises. The whole idea of the development is fantastic because Bradford needs a lift."

Afzal Khan, founder and managing director of the business, added: "We are very happy about the move, we might have stayed here for a few years more had the development not been happening but we wanted to move eventually so this has just pushed us ahead."

Apart from designing alloy wheels, which Jamshad Khan, a director at the firm and brother to Afzal, describes as the Gucci of the wheel world, the business also designs luxury steering wheels.

The Broadway development, which will include about 70 shops and two public squares, is being carried out by the Forster Square Development Partnership, headed by Knottingley-based Caddick Construction.

It is expected to take several years to build, with the end product not expected to be finished until 2005.

Caddick has also bought the historic Conditioning House in Canal Road to redevelop as a designer shopping centre expected to open in 2004.

Demolition contractors are now looking at the best way to remove buildings for the Broadway scheme.

It is thought they will be taken down piece by piece rather than demolished with explosives as had been the case at nearby Provincial House recently.

Department store Debenhams will be the shopping centre's star store, BHS, Boots, McDonalds, H Samuel and Ernest Jones jewellers, W H Smith and Clinton Cards will also move in.

The Petergate tower block which is home to Mr Khan's business was used by BMW in October 2001 when the firm attached a real version of the new Minis to the side of the building as a marketing ploy.