Mogul's son pitched elite car club; investor lawsuits followed

On paper, "The Bunker" was an ideal playground for Southern California's ultra-rich.

- JAMES QUEALLY

THE PROPOSED Bunker in Beverly Hills promised a fleet of supercars and a lavish lifestyle for members.

The Bunke

Described as "the ultimate man cave," a $14,500 monthly membership offered access to a fleet of high-end vehicles including Ferraris, Bugattis and Porsches, according to investor decks obtained by The Times.

Members were promised curated dining experiences, lavish private spaces, high-end wines and cigars. Founding members purportedly included venture capitalist Mark Cuban, fashion designer and L.A. oil fortune scion August Getty, NBA champion Kristaps Porzingis and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, according to a lawsuit filed by two investors.

The Bunker's fleet of supercars would call Beverly Hills home, as soon as its ownership group completed an approximately $90-million takeover of Mr. C's Beverly Hills Hotel, according to an executive summary of the business reviewed by The Times.

From 2020 to 2022, the man behind the Bunker hooked investors on his hyper-ambitious project, meeting with business owners in ritzy parts of the Westside and hosting gatherings at Formula One events around the globe, according to a lawsuit and investors interviewed by The Times.

Some said they decided to buy in based on the last name of the Bunker's chief executive, as it signaled a connection to the nation's premier real estate baron.

But a litany of lawsuits filed in recent years accuse David Bren― the estranged son of Irvine Co. founder and billionaire Donald Bren- of conjuring the Bunker out of thin air to take millions from wealthy targets. One lawsuit said the younger Bren led a "charade designed to lure investors... to fund his own extravagant lifestyle." "The Bunker does not exist. There is no ultra-high end automotive club. There are no members. The business is a mirage," one lawsuit alleged.