===============================================================================
/------------------------------/
/ OMB APPROVAL /
/------------------------------/
/ OMB Number: 3235-0287 /
/ Expires: December 31, 2001 /
/ Estimated average burden /
/ hours per response...... 0.5 /
/------------------------------/
+--------+
| FORM 4 | U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
+--------+ WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
[_] Check this box if
no longer subject STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
to Section 16.
Form 4 or Form 5 Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities
obligations may Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the
continue. See Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
Instruction 1(b). Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
(Print or Type Responses)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*
Smith O. Bruton
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Last) (First) (Middle)
c/o Sonic Automotive, Inc.
5401 E. Independence Blvd.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Street)
Charlotte NC 28212
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(City) (State) (Zip)
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Sonic Automotive, Inc. (SAH)
-----------------------------------
3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity
(voluntary)
--------------
4. Statement for Month/Year 6/01
---------------------------------------------------
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
---------------------------------
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
X Director X Officer X 10% Owner Other
___ ____ ____ (specify below)
(give title below)
Chairman and CEO
----------------------------------------------------------------
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
__X__ Form filed by One Reporting Person
____ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
Table I--Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Title 2. Trans- 3. Trans- 4. Securities Acquired (A) 5. Amount of 6. Owner- 7. Nature
of action action or Disposed of (D) Securities ship of In-
Security Date Code (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Beneficially Form: direct
(Instr. 3) (Month/ (Instr. 8) Owned at Direct Bene-
Day/ ----------------------------------------------- End of (D) or ficial
Year) Month Indirect Owner-
Code V Amount (A) or Price (Instr. 3 and 4) (I) ship
(D) (Instr. 4) (Instr. 4)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 6/18/01 J (1) 100,000 D (1) 5,400 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) On June 18, 2001, Mr. Smith transferred 100,000 shares of Sonic's Class A
Common Stock beneficially owned by Mr. Smith to Egan Group, LLC (a member
of the "Smith Group" as defined in Sonic's Charter) in consideration for
Egan Group, LLC transferring 100,000 shares of Sonic's Class B Commmon
Stock beneficially owned by Egan Group, LLC to Mr. Smith. This transaction
is being reported on Form 4 as a conversion exempt from Section 16(b) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 pursuant to Rule 16b-6(b) promulgated
thereunder and related SEC guidance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table II--Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Title of Derivative 2. Conver- 3. Trans- 4. Transac- 5. Number of Deriv-
Security (Instr. 3) sion or action tion Code ative Securities
Exercise Date (Instr. 8) Acquired (A) or
Price of (Month/ Disposed of (D)
Deriv- Day/ (Instr. 3, 4, and 5)
ative Year)
Security
---------------------------------------------------
Code V (A) (D)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class B Common Stock (2) 6/18/01 J (2) 100,000
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table II--Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Date Exer- 7. Title and Amount of 8. Price 9. Number 10. Owner- 11. Na-
cisable and Underlying Securities of of Deriv- ship ture
Expiration (Instr. 3 and 4) Deriv- ative Form of In-
Date ative Secur- of De- direct
(Month/Day/ Secur- ities rivative Bene-
Year) ity Bene- Securities ficial
(Instr. ficially Bene- Owner-
-------------------------------------------- 5) Owned ficially ship
Date Expira- Amount or at End Owned at (Instr.
Exer- tion Title Number of of End of 4)
cisable Date Shares Month Month(1)
(Instr. 4) (Instr. 4)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class B Common Stock immed. N/A Class A 100,000 (2) 11,052,500 (3) (3)
Common Stock
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explanation of Responses:
(2) On June 18, 2001, Mr. Smith transferred 100,000 shares of Sonic's Class A
Common Stock beneficially owned by Mr. Smith to Egan Group, LLC (a member
of the "Smith Group" as defined in Sonic's Charter) in consideration for
Egan Group, LLC transferring 100,000 shares of Sonic's Class B Common
Stock beneficially owned by Egan Group, LLC to Mr. Smith. This transaction
is being reported on Form 4 as a conversion exempt from Section 16(b) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 pursuant to Rule 16b-6(b) promulgated
thereunder and related SEC guidance.
(3) Of the 11,052,500 shares of Sonic's Class B Common Stock shown as
beneficially owned by Mr. Smith in the table above, 2,171,250 shares are
held directly by Mr. Smith and 8,881,250 shares are held indirectly by Mr.
Smith through Sonic Financial Corporation. Mr. Smith owns the substantial
majority of stock of Sonic Financial Corporation.
/s/ O. Bruton Smith 6/29/01
------------------------------- -----------------
**Signature of Reporting Person Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
owned directly or indirectly.
* If this form is filed by more than one reporting person, see
Instruction 4(b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal
Criminal Violations.
See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.