FORM 4 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [ ] CHECK THIS BOX IF NO LONGER WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 SUBJECT TO SECTION 16. FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OR FORM 5 OBLIGATIONS MAY CONTINUE. SEE INSTRUCTION 1(B). Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange 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 (PRINT OR TYPE RESPONSES) - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* 2. Issuer Name AND Ticker or 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer Trading Symbol (Check all applicable) X Director X 10% Owner ---- ---- X Officer Other ---- ---- (give title below) (specify below) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Smith Ollen Bruton Sonic Automotive, Inc. ("SAH") See (1) and (2) below - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Last) (First) (Middle) 3. I.R.S. 4. Statement Identification for Number of Month/Year Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary) in c/o Sonic Automotive, Inc. 5401 East Independence Blvd. 8/99 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Street) 5. If 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Amendment, Line) Date of ___ Form filed by One Reporting Person Original ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person Charlotte, NC 28212 (Month/Year) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (City) (State) (Zip) TABLE I-- NON-DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. - --------------------- -------- ---------- ------------------------------ ----------- ---------- ---------- Amount of Owner- Securities ship Trans- Trans- Securities Acquired (A) Beneficially Form: action action or Disposed of (D) Owned at Direct Nature of Date Code (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) End of (D) or Indirect Title of (Month/ (Instr. 8) ---------------------------- Month Indirect Beneficial Security Day/ ---------- Amount (A) or Price (Instr. (I) Ownership (Instr. 3) Year) Code V (D) 3 and 4) (Instr. 4) (Instr. 4) - --------------------- -------- ---- ---- ----------- ------ --------- ----------- ---------- ---------- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- ------------------- ------ --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- -------------------------- ------------------- ------ --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- -------------------------- ------------------- ------ --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- -------------------------- ------------------- ------ --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- -------------------------- ------------------- ------ --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- -------------------------- ------------------- ------ --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- -------------------------- ------------------- ------ --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ----------

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. *If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, SEE Instruction 4(b)(v

FORM 4 (CONTINUED) TABLE II -- DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED (E.G., PUTS, CALLS, WARRANTS, OPTIONS, CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. - ---------- -------- -------- -------- ---------- ------------ -------------- ------ ---------- --------- ---------- Title and Ownership Number of Date Exer- Amount of Form of Derivative cisable and Underlying Number of Deriv- Securities Expiration Securities Price Derivative ative Conver- Trans- Acquired (A) Date (Month/ (Instr. 3 of Securities Security: sion or Trans- action or Disposed Day/Year) and 4) Deriv- Benefi- Direct Exercise action Code of (D) -------------- -------------- ative cially (D) or Nature of Title of Price of Date (Instr. (Instr. 3, Date Amount Secur- Owned at Indirect Indirect Derivative Deriv- (Month/ 8) 4, and 5) Exer- Expir- or Num- ity End of (I) Beneficial Security ative Day/ -------- ---------- cis- ation ber of (Instr. Month (Instr. Ownership (Instr. 3) Security Year) Code V (A) (D) able Date Title Shares 5) (Instr. 4) 4) (Instr. 4) - ---------- -------- -------- ---- --- ---- ---- ------- ----- ----- ------ ------ ---------- -------- ---------- Put Options Class A (obligation Common to buy) $12.50 8/9/99 S 300(1) 8/9/99 11/20/99 Stock 30,000(1) $112.50 -0- D - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Explanation of Responses: (1) On August 9, 1999, Mr. Smith wrote a put option on 30,000 shares of Sonic's Class A Common Stock (represented by 300 standardized option contracts for 100 shares each), which entitle the holder of the put option to require Mr. Smith, at the election of the holder, to purchase any or all of the shares at a price of $12.50 per share at any time prior to November 20, 1999. ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of /s/ O. Bruton Smith 9/8/99 facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. -------------------------------- ------------ SEE 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a) ** Signature of Reporting Person Date Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, SEE Instruction 6 for procedure. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number. Page 2