It was supposed to be the “ultimate man cave,” but to those who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, it quickly became the ultimate scam.

David Bren told investors he was creating an exclusive private space, with monthly dues costing $14,500, a high-class clubhouse and ultra-luxury cars available to members.

The project even had a bro-centric sounding name: The Bunker.

As presented, members could just pluck a Ferrari, Bugatti, Porsche, Maserati or Rolls Royce from among the club’s $50 million fleet to use for an afternoon.

Referring to a client of his – whose “family has billions of dollars” – LA-based attorney Joshua Ritter told The Post, “He met David Bren through a friend who was also well connected in Los Angeles.

“They were, for lack of a better term, part of a playboy community of guys who go out, live a kind of VIP lifestyle and like to invest in things. David was introduced as the son of Donald Bren, which immediately gave him credibility.”

Bren — sometimes trading off the name of his real estate billionaire father Donald Bren, who he is estranged from — took in rounds of cash from various well-heeled investors to make The Bunker a reality between 2020 and 2022.

However, no hint of the club has ever materialized.

Lawsuits alleging misappropriation of funds have since piled up, but only fractions of repayments have been made. One person who put up big bucks – and encouraged at least one other to do the same – died by suicide.

A promised investment in the all-female racecar W Series, which had hopes to become an alternative to Formula 1, never materialized. That “dramatically impacted” the cash flow of the racing league, which went into liquidation after its 2022 season.

A source who spent time with Bren described him to The Post as dressing in a “California casual style,” and being “easygoing, laid back, fairly introverted.”

But it seems he was a little more outgoing when it counted.

In the social environments of nightclubs, restaurants and parties, Bren pitched an idea that seemed irresistible.

“He starts discussing the Bunker,” said Ritter. “It’s going to be an elite club that’s going to include expanded access to exclusive cars and all sorts of things, and they’re going to partner with F1.”

He even looked like he had the connections, as “he hosted [at least one] party in a suite at an F1 race,” Ritter added.

Ritter’s client made an initial investment of $75,000. Then, he added, “the way it was sold is that instead of just investing, why don’t you become a founding member and give me some more money?”

Founding-member status, as it was presented, would have put anyone in good company. Bren maintained that oil heir August Getty, venture capitalist and Shark Tank” personality Mark Cuban, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and NBA star Kristaps Porzingis were all founding members.

This may have also been wishful thinking. Through his publicist, Getty denied the association. Via email, Cuban wrote, “I have no idea who [Bren] is.”

Someone else who doesn’t want to be associated with him? His 92-year-old father, Donald, who runs real estate developer Irvine Company.

“There has never been a relationship or association with the company or Mr. Bren with David,” a source familiar with the situation told The Post.

“The last time they saw each other was in court in 2010. We want to make clear that there is no association.”

David’s mother, Jennifer McKay Gold, filed suit on his behalf against Donald in 2003 saying Donald had paid less child support than he should have. The case ended in 2010 with the father agreeing to continue paying for his  education until David was 25.

As maintained in one of the lawsuits, filed by an investor hoping to get their money back, Bren put on a “charade designed to lure investors … to fund his own extravagant lifestyle.”

The illusion was a believable one. So much so that he convinced at least one individual with a common friend to loan him a six-figure sum when funds got tight.

“I was introduced to him,” the person told The Post. “We had a few interests in common and he asked me for a loan.”

The source gave the funds and was paid off, as promised. However, some time later, he made a second loan for an even larger sum.

“That time he did not pay me back. I was able to have him served [with court papers]. But he never responded and I got a default judgment.”

The individual has seen a small amount of the money owed, but the rest is in limbo, they said. They are not alone as many people had parted with serious dough after meeting Bren, often after being introduced by trusted associates.

What enticed them to risk large sums?

One of the indebted laid it out: “We met socially a few times and he appealed to me on the basis of friendship. It worked. I said okay. Plus, he showed me the concept of The Bunker. He was charming and seemed to have a lot going on. He was smart. He never mentioned his father to me.”

Mike Tran, a friend of an investor, put it differently to the Los Angeles Times: “He was slick. He played this, like, victim. That’s how he pulled people’s heartstrings. ‘My dad didn’t give me nothing, I could do this, but no one believes in me.’”

According to Bren’s LinkedIn, he attended Boston University between 2010 and 2014, and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, business law and economics.

Bren’s Linkedin page also has him as a co-founder of a co-working space in Los Angeles, the managing partner of a private equity firm and the founder of Peels CBD (“the world’s first citrus derived CBD”). And, of course, he is listed as founder and CEO of The Bunker. According to his listing, that began in 2020 and continues into the present.

A tech entrepreneur by the name of Nanxi Liu invested $100,000 at the encouragement of her mentor, Tony Chen. “He really pressed me on it,” she told the LA Times. Liu said Chen used the same buzzy chatter as Bren. “It’s going to be so awesome. It’s the SoHo House for car lovers,” he reportedly told Liu, referencing the hip private club with outposts around the world.

Months after Liu invested, she told the Times, Chen was in “massive, massive crisis.” Some of that was related to his encouraging other people to invest and some of that was a result of his own money issues – according to the Times, he “wrote check after check for the Bunker” – along with other stressors in his life.

In September 2022, Chen hung himself in a friend’s garage.

Despite it all, the source who had spent time with Bren still wants to see things for the best. Considering “the caliber of people who galvanized around this deal, it was very real. It took a lot of time to build something that unfortunately got negatively impacted by COVID. The issue he created for himself is the lack of communication and avoiding people.”

As Ritter remembers it, when it came to paying people back or even making interest payments, “It was one story after the other. The bank lost the wire transfer and the check was in the mail. This guy had COVID more than anyone I know. He was always telling people, ‘Oh, I can’t go to the bank right now because I have COVID.’”

Social media posts have Bren in Miami. He did not respond to requests for comment for this story and he has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

One thing that seems likely is that the Bunker will never materialize.

Recalling a contact who had dealings with him, Ritter said, “He showed up at a meeting in a flashy, purple sports car. He had a model on his elbow. He projected wealth and privilege.

“But he was living in a rented home – not in some mansion – and I imagine that the vehicle was probably rented. I don’t know if any of it was real.”

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