South OC Cars and Coffee Founder James Wehr killed in fiery California McLaren crash
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "South OC Cars and Coffee Founder James Wehr killed in fiery California McLaren crash")
South OC Cars and Coffee founder James Wehr Photograph: (Credit: X)
South OC Cars and Coffee founder James Wehr, 27, and another passenger were killed after a 2019 McLaren struck a tree and caught fire in Irvine, California.
James Wehr, the 27-year-old co-founder of South OC Cars and Coffee recognised as the world’s largest weekly car show was killed early Saturday morning (Sep 12) in a high-speed McLaren crash in Southern California. The single-vehicle accident occurred just an hour after Wehr shared a social media post showing him pulled over by law enforcement.
According to the Irvine Police Department and the Orange County Fire Authority, the fatal crash occurred around 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, at the intersection of Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue. Investigators stated that the 2019 McLaren was stopped at a red traffic light before accelerating north at high speed when the signal turned green. The driver lost control, striking a curb before crashing into a tree. The impact caused the supercar to split in two and burst into flames.
Emergency crews responded to the scene and found the vehicle fully engulfed in flames. Both Wehr and a second passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the second occupant has not yet been released by authorities pending notification of next of kin.
The Police statement read: “The preliminary investigation determined that a 2019 McLaren had stopped northbound on Culver Drive at Deerfield Avenue. When the traffic light turned green, the car traveled northbound at a high rate of speed. The driver lost control of their vehicle, which traveled to the right, where it struck a curb and a tree.”
Approximately one hour before the fatal collision, Wehr posted a story on his personal Instagram account featuring a photograph that appeared to show a Newport Beach police cruiser stopped behind his vehicle. Law enforcement officials have not confirmed the circumstances of that initial traffic stop or whether it was related to the subsequent crash.
Wehr, alongside his father Simon, established South OC Cars and Coffee at the Outlets at San Clemente. What started as a local family passion project grew into the largest weekly recurring automotive gathering globally, routinely drawing between 800 and 2,500 vehicles and thousands of spectators every Saturday morning.
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Following news of his death, tributes poured in from across the automotive industry. His wife, Emma Wehr, posted a tribute calling him "one of the best people" she had ever known, while customary custom auto shop RDB LA noted that the automotive community had "lost a truly great person."
The Irvine Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Team continues to investigate the speed and mechanical factors surrounding the crash.
