Who Was James Wehr? Car Influencer Dies at 27 With Hooters Calendar Model Lexi Kramer in Fiery McLaren Crash

A McLaren travelling at high speed split in two after striking a tree in California in the early hours of Sunday, killing James Wehr, co-founder of South OC Cars and Coffee, and Alexis 'Lexi' Kramer, 22, who had travelled from Florida to California to meet him.

Wehr, 27, and Kramer died together in the wreckage in Irvine, Orange County, just after midnight on 13 September 2026.

Wehr had built a following as co-founder of South OC Cars and Coffee, described on its own website as the world's largest weekly car show. Kramer, a bartender from Lakeland, Florida, had arrived in California days earlier to meet Wehr in person after a month of talking online.

Who Was James Wehr

Wehr co-founded South OC Cars and Coffee with his father, Simon, turning a small Saturday gathering in a San Clemente Target car park into a weekly meet that attracted 1,000 to 3,000 vehicles, including hypercars, supercars, exotics, vintage and classic models.

The event eventually relocated to the Outlets at San Clemente and ran every Saturday from 9am to 11am, rain or shine, with Wehr running the show alongside his father and mother, Sarah, and a team of volunteers and photographers.

His mother posted a tribute on social media the night of the crash, writing that she and her husband had brought James into the world at 2:36am on 17 August 1999.

South OC Cars and Coffee confirmed his death on Instagram that same Sunday morning, telling followers the organisation had 'some really heavy news to share' after losing its 'darling son and brother' in the crash.

The Crash on Culver Drive

Irvine police and the Orange County Fire Authority were called to Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue at around 12:18am after reports of a vehicle fire.

Officer Ziggy Azarcon told KTLA that investigators believe speed was a factor, saying 'the vehicle took off at a high rate of speed on Culver Drive and lost control, striking a curb and then a tree, splitting the vehicle in two and catching it on fire.'

By the time crews arrived, the 2019 McLaren 720S was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and found two people dead inside, while police said it remained unclear who was behind the wheel at the moment of impact.

A witness identified only as Sid told ABC7 he heard a screech followed by a loud impact before stepping outside to see the car burning. Authorities had not initially released either victim's name, although both were subsequently identified by family members.

Who Was Lexi Kramer

Kramer's sister, Gracie, confirmed her identity publicly and described her as kind, funny and charismatic. Lexi worked as a bartender in Lakeland, had recently earned an associate's degree from Polk State College and had just started a new leadership role at a company days before her death.

Her Instagram bio described her as a 2026 Hooters calendar girl, and she shared Wehr's enthusiasm for cars and motorcycles.

According to Gracie, the pair met on Instagram and spent roughly a month messaging before Kramer's trip west, with Wehr paying for her flight after telling Kramer that he and his wife, Emma, had separated and were finalising a divorce.

Gracie said she doubted that account. The California Post reported that a search of Orange County court records found no divorce filing involving Wehr, a discrepancy Gracie said the family did not know about at the time.

A Weekend Together, Then Tragedy

Kramer attended part of Wehr's Saturday car show before the pair spent the evening together. Gracie said they dined at Nobu and had drinks at the Pendry Hotel in Newport Beach in the hours before the crash.

Lexi's family provided dental records to help the medical examiner's office confirm her identity, as authorities had not initially released either victim's name through official channels.

Friends of the Wehr family, including automotive journalist Michele Spencer, visited the crash site, where mourners had left flowers near the scorched tree.

Investigators have not yet said whether alcohol, road conditions or mechanical failure contributed to the crash beyond the preliminary finding that the vehicle was travelling at a high rate of speed.

The pair, who had met in person only days earlier, died in the crash as investigators continue to examine what caused the McLaren to lose control.