UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ------ Washington, D.C. 20549 -------------------------- FORM 4 OMB APPROVAL ------ -------------------------- [_] Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. OMB Number: 3235-0287 Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See -------------------------- instruction 1(b). STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP Expires: December 31, 2001 -------------------------- Estimated average burden (Print or Type Responses) Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange hours per response....0.5 Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding -------------------------- Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Name and Address of 2. Issuer Name and Tickler 6. Relationship of Reporting Persons Reporting Person* or Trading Symbol to Issuer (Check all applicable) Brooks, William R. Sonic Automotive, Inc. (SAH) x Director 10% Owner - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- --- (Last) (First) (Middle) 3. I.R.S. Identification 4. Statement for Number of Reporting Month/Year Officer Other (specify below) 5401 E. Independence Blvd. Person, if an entitity --- (give --- (voluntary) title 12/01 below) ------------------------------- - ------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ (Street) 5. If Amendment, 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Date of Applicable Line) Original x Form filed by One Reporting Person Charlotte, NC 28212 (Month/Year) --- Form filed by More than One Reporting --- Person - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (City) (State) (Zip) Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Title of Security 2. Transaction Date 3. Transaction 4. Securities Acquired (A) 5. Amount of (Instr. 3) Code or Disposed of (D) Securities (Instr. B) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Beneficially Owned at End of Month (Month/Day/Year) --------------------------------------------- (Instr. 3 and 4) (A) or Code V Amount (D) Price - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Class A Common Stock 12/17/01 M 20,000 A $7.25 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Class A Common Stock 12/17/01 S 20,000 D $22.00 -0- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Ownership Form: 7. Nature of Direct (D) or Indirect Indirect (I) Beneficial (Instr. 4) Ownership (Instr. 4) - --------------------------------------- D - --------------------------------------- D - --------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------- - ---------------------------------------

1. Title of 2. Conversion or 3. Transaction Date 4. Transaction 5. Number of Derivative 6. Date Exercisable Derivative Exercise Price (Month/Day/Year) Code Securities Acquired (A) or and Expiration Date Security of Derivative (Instr. 8) Disposed of (D) (Month/Day/Year) (Instr. 3) Security (Instr. 3,4 and 5) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date Expiration Code V (A) (D) Exercisable Date - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Option to $7.25 12/17/01 M 20,000 9/20/98 3/20/08 Purchase - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Title and 8. Price of 9. Number of 10. Ownership Form 11. Narure of Amount of Derivative Derivative of Derivative Indirect Underlying Security Securities Securities Beneficial Securities (Instr. 5) Beneficially Beneficially Ownership (Instr. 3 Owned at End of Owned at End of (Instr. 4) and 4) Month Month (Instr. 4) (Instr. 4) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amount or Number of Title Shares - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Class A Common Stock 20,000 55,000 D - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explanation of Responses:

/s/ William R. Brooks 1/4/02 --------------------------------- ----------------------------- **Signature of Reporting Person Date Reminder: Report on a separate line of each class of securities beneficially owned directley or indirectly. *If the 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 is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.