Car influencer James Wehr and 22-year-old Alexis ‘Lexi’ Kramer were killed when his McLaren crashed into a tree and burst into flames in Irvine, California.
The 27-year-old was driving a 2019 McLaren 720S when it left Culver Drive at about 12.20am on Saturday, struck a kerb and then hit a tree, according to police. The force of the collision split the supercar in two.
Police said speed appeared to have been a factor. Wehr had reportedly been stopped by Newport Beach police shortly before the fatal McLaren crash and given a warning.
“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,” Irvine Police Department Officer Ziggy Azarcon said.
Investigators said evidence indicated that Wehr was behind the wheel, while a woman was sitting in the passenger seat. The precise cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Ms Kramer’s family identified her as the second victim. They said she and Wehr had met through Instagram and that he had flown her from Florida to California two days before the crash.
Ms Kramer, a bartender, had described herself on Instagram as a 2026 Hooters calendar girl. She shared Wehr’s enthusiasm for cars and motorcycles and had attended his popular car show earlier on the day of the collision.
A family member said the pair had met in person for the first time that day, dining at Nobu and having drinks at the Pendry Hotel before the crash.
The relative also claimed that Wehr had told Ms Kramer he was divorcing his wife, Emma. “He talked to Lexi every day, all the time and finally got her to fly out to California to come see him,” the family member said.
Tributes after fatal McLaren crash
Wehr’s death prompted tributes from people in the car community, where he was described as an “icon”. His wife posted photographs of the couple and wrote that saying goodbye was something she had never expected to face.
“Getting the opportunity to love you will always be the greatest blessing in my life,” Emma Wehr wrote. “You had such a zest for life and drive like no one I’ve ever met.”
She added: “You’re smart, kind, funny, loving, and genuinely one of the best people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.”
Wehr’s mother, Sarah, described him as a “magnificent man” whose love for his family and friends was “second to none”. His sister, Sophie, shared childhood photographs and said she would live each day with him in mind.
Ms Kramer’s sister, Gracie, said Lexi had been “so much more than just my best friend”.
“She was all of my love, my heart, my attitude, and my humor wrapped into a smaller, more chaotic, less filtered, package,” she wrote.
Her friend Kimberli Gandy described Ms Kramer as “joy and chaos and kindness and laughter” and said she was “so unbelievably full of life”.
