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.
asserted
old → turn → 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.
asserted
who → mark → 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.
asserted
sea → post → flowers
A pretty special event,” wrote Luke Saylor who posted the video.
asserted
who → write → 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.
asserted
who → turn → 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.
asserted
Everything → hold → venue
Wehr helped run the event with his father as a family operation supported by volunteers, photographers and members of the local car community.
asserted
Wehr → run → community
Saturday’s turnout prompted an outpouring of emotional reactions online.
asserted
turnout → prompt → reactions
One remembered Wehr as an “amazing son, nephew, grandson, friend, mentor, colleague to everyone who knew him.”
asserted
who → remember → 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.
asserted
McLaren → come → 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.
asserted
which → say → curb
The McLaren split apart and erupted in flames.
asserted
McLaren → split → flames
Dashcam footage captured by another vehicle appears to show the sports car traveling across water on the roadway moments before the devastating impact.
asserted
car → capture → impact
Its brake lights illuminate before the McLaren veers to the right and crashes.
asserted
McLaren → illuminate → right
The source of that water has since become part of the scrutiny surrounding the wreck.
asserted
source → become → wreck
Wehr’s widow, Emma, retained attorney Corey Higgins of iAccidentLawyer after the crash.
asserted
widow → retain → crash
Higgins is investigating where the water originated from and whether the wet roadway played a role in the deadly collision.
asserted
roadway → investigate → collision
Wehr also had a history of traffic violations.
asserted
Wehr → have → 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.
uncertain
he → obtain → zone
Other citations involved an expired license, tinted windows and a missing front license plate.
asserted
citations → involve → license
Saturday’s gathering focused squarely on the community Wehr helped build, and the family and friends left mourning him.
asserted
family → focus → 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.
uncertain
which → follow → 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.
asserted
she → bring → man
“I hope you’re getting a beer with Gramps as you both watch over us all.
asserted
you → hope → us
I love you my handsome, hilarious son.”
asserted
I → love → you
The Aporia
