Hundreds of car lovers turned out in Southern California Saturday for an emotional tribute to influencer James Wehr, days after the 27-year-old was killed alongside a young passenger in a horrific McLaren crash.
The Sept. 19 gathering marked the first South OC Cars and Coffee meetup since Wehr, who co-founded the wildly popular weekly event with his father, Simon Wehr, died in the fiery Sept. 13 wreck in Irvine.
Video posted to Instagram showed a sprawling sea of luxury and performance vehicles filling the Outlets at San Clemente, with numerous cars sporting matching “James Wehr Forever” decals across their windshields and a large photo of the auto aficionado with flowers.
“To be remembered like this. What an incredible turnout for James Wehr. A pretty special event,” wrote Luke Saylor who posted the video.
The massive gathering was a fitting tribute for Wehr, who helped turn South OC Cars and Coffee into a destination for Southern California gearheads.
Held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the event bills itself as the world’s largest weekly car show and typically draws between 1,500 and 3,000 vehicles.
Everything from multimillion-dollar hypercars and exotics to muscle cars, vintage rides, hot rods, pickups and motorcycles regularly packs the San Clemente venue.
Wehr helped run the event with his father as a family operation supported by volunteers, photographers and members of the local car community.
Saturday’s turnout prompted an outpouring of emotional reactions online.
One remembered Wehr as an “amazing son, nephew, grandson, friend, mentor, colleague to everyone who knew him.”
The tribute came less than a week after Wehr and his passenger, Alexis “Lexi” Kramer, 22, were killed when Wehr’s 2019 McLaren crashed shortly after midnight in Irvine.
Police said Wehr accelerated at a high rate of speed after a traffic light turned green before losing control of the supercar, which slammed into a curb and tree.
The McLaren split apart and erupted in flames.
Dashcam footage captured by another vehicle appears to show the sports car traveling across water on the roadway moments before the devastating impact. Its brake lights illuminate before the McLaren veers to the right and crashes.
The source of that water has since become part of the scrutiny surrounding the wreck.
Wehr’s widow, Emma, retained attorney Corey Higgins of iAccidentLawyer after the crash. Higgins is investigating where the water originated from and whether the wet roadway played a role in the deadly collision.
Wehr also had a history of traffic violations.
Court records obtained by TMZ showed he was ticketed in Westminster on Feb. 7, 2025, after allegedly driving a black 2017 Audi at 75 mph in a 65-mph zone. Other citations involved an expired license, tinted windows and a missing front license plate.
Saturday’s gathering focused squarely on the community Wehr helped build, and the family and friends left mourning him.
Following her son’s death, Wehr’s mother, Sarah, shared a heartbreaking tribute on her personal Instagram account, which has since been made private, according to People.
“We brought you into this world at 2:36am, August 17, 1999 and watched you grow into the magnificent man you are,” she wrote. “I hope you’re getting a beer with Gramps as you both watch over us all. I love you my handsome, hilarious son.”
Read the full article here
