The investigation into the fiery crash in Irvine of a McLaren sports car that killed the founder of the world’s biggest weekly car show and an auto enthusiast-influencer will take months to complete, Irvine police said Thursday.
Killed in the crash was 27-year-old Irvine resident James Wehr, owner of South OC Cars and Coffee, and Alexis Kramer, 22, of Lakeland, Florida, police said.
“Investigators will examine all possible contributing factors to the collision, including roadway and vehicle conditions, the vehicle’s speed, and any factors that may have affected Wehr’s operation of the McLaren,” according to a police statement released Thursday.
The crash occurred about 12:20 a.m. Sunday in the area of Deerfield Avenue and Culver Drive, according to the Irvine Police Department.
“A 2019 McLaren had stopped northbound on Culver Drive at Deerfield Avenue,” police spokesman Kyle Oldoerp. “When the traffic light turned green, the car traveled northbound at a high rate of speed.”
The driver, confirmed to be Wehr, lost control of the car, which veered to the right, struck a curb and then a tree, Oldoerp said. The vehicle then split in two and caught fire.
Firefighters dispatched to the scene extinguished the vehicle fire and reported that two people were found dead inside the McLaren.
Wehr had earlier attended one of his regular car shows, and about an hour before the crash had posted an Instagram photo appearing to show police pulling him over in Newport Beach, according to the California Post.
After the crash, his wife, Emma, posted a tribute that included photos, writing “James, I never thought the day would come that I’d have to say such a final goodbye. Getting the opportunity to love you will always be the greatest blessing in my life.”
Dash cam video later emerged showing the McLaren zooming through a wet patch of roadway on a rainless night.
Anyone with further information regarding the crash was urged to call the Irvine Police Department at 949-724-7047.