Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. has tapped Nissan Motor Co. executive Andy Palmer to run the 101-year-old U.K. sports car maker, ending almost nine months without a leader.

Palmer, 51, will join Aston Martin as chief executive officer following a transition period from his current employer, the Gaydon, England-based company said Tuesday in a statement. His move marks the latest departure of a senior manager from Nissan's automotive alliance with Renault SA.

The Briton is shifting to a niche manufacturer, which sold 4,200 sports cars in 2013, after 23 years at Nissan, Japan's second-biggest automaker with 5.2 million global deliveries in the 12 months through March.