diff --git a/include/verilated.h b/include/verilated.h
index 107f217de..cb375d27c 100644
--- a/include/verilated.h
+++ b/include/verilated.h
@@ -283,8 +283,6 @@ public:
 #define VL_OUT(name, msb, lsb) IData name  ///< Declare output signal, 17-32 bits
 #define VL_OUTW(name, msb, lsb, words) WData name[words]  ///< Declare output signal, 65+ bits
 
-#define VL_CELL(instname, type)  ///< Declare a cell, ala SP_CELL
-
 ///< Declare a module, ala SC_MODULE
 #define VL_MODULE(modname) class modname VL_NOT_FINAL : public VerilatedModule
 // Not class final in VL_MODULE, as users might be abstracting our models (--hierarchical)
diff --git a/src/V3EmitC.cpp b/src/V3EmitC.cpp
index dd48ecfe4..77142c101 100644
--- a/src/V3EmitC.cpp
+++ b/src/V3EmitC.cpp
@@ -1873,7 +1873,6 @@ class EmitCImp final : EmitCStmts {
         return "";
     }
 
-    void emitCellCtors(AstNodeModule* modp);
     void emitSensitives();
     // Medium level
     void emitCtorImp(AstNodeModule* modp);
@@ -2480,7 +2479,15 @@ void EmitCImp::emitCtorImp(AstNodeModule* modp) {
     if (modp->isTop() && v3Global.opt.mtasks()) emitThreadingCtors(&first);
 
     puts(" {\n");
-    emitCellCtors(modp);
+
+    if (modp->isTop()) {
+        putsDecoration("// Create Sym instance\n");
+        // Must be before other constructors, as __vlCoverInsert calls it.
+        // Note _vcontextp__ may be nullptr, VerilatedSyms::VerilatedSyms cleans it up
+        puts(EmitCBaseVisitor::symClassVar() + " = new " + symClassName() + "("
+             + (optSystemC() ? "nullptr" : "_vcontextp__") + ", this, name());\n");
+    }
+
     emitSensitives();
 
     putsDecoration("// Reset internal values\n");
@@ -2717,21 +2724,6 @@ void EmitCImp::emitTextSection(AstType type) {
     if (last_line > 0) puts("//*** Above code from `systemc in Verilog file\n\n");
 }
 
-void EmitCImp::emitCellCtors(AstNodeModule* modp) {
-    if (modp->isTop()) {
-        // Must be before other constructors, as __vlCoverInsert calls it
-        // Note _vcontextp__ may be nullptr, VerilatedSyms::VerilatedSyms cleans it up
-        puts(EmitCBaseVisitor::symClassVar() + " = new " + symClassName() + "("
-             + (optSystemC() ? "nullptr" : "_vcontextp__") + ", this, name());\n");
-    }
-    for (AstNode* nodep = modp->stmtsp(); nodep; nodep = nodep->nextp()) {
-        if (AstCell* cellp = VN_CAST(nodep, Cell)) {
-            puts("VL_CELL(" + cellp->nameProtect() + ", " + prefixNameProtect(cellp->modp())
-                 + ");\n");
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 void EmitCImp::emitSensitives() {
     // Create sensitivity list for when to evaluate the model.
     // If C++ code, the user must call this routine themself.