James Wehr, a popular car influencer and co-founder of the world’s largest weekly car show, died Sunday after his McLaren sports car crashed and burst into flames in Irvine, California. He was 27.
According to the Irvine Police Department, the crash occurred around 12:18 a.m. at the intersection of Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue. The 2019 McLaren had been stopped at a red light before accelerating northbound at a high rate of speed when the signal turned green. The driver lost control, striking a curb before crashing into a tree. The impact split the vehicle in two and caused it to catch fire, trapping Wehr and a passenger inside. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim’s identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
Wehr co-founded South OC Cars and Coffee with his father, Simon, at the Outlets at San Clemente. What began as a family passion project grew into a weekly gathering drawing between 800 and 2,500 vehicles and thousands of spectators. In a statement shared on Instagram, his parents Simon and Sarah said: “This morning, just after midnight, we lost our darling son and brother James in a motor accident. We respectfully ask for privacy as a family as we process this profound loss”. His wife, Emma, called him “genuinely one of the best people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing”. Approximately one hour before the fatal crash, Wehr posted an Instagram story appearing to show a police cruiser stopped behind his vehicle in Newport Beach. The investigation into the speed and mechanical factors surrounding the crash continues.
