FORM 3 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 OMB APPROVAL ------------ OMB Number: 3235-0104 Expires: September 30, 1998 Estimated average burden hours per response .... 0.5 INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES 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. Date of Event Re- 4. Issuer Name and Ticker or quiring statement Trading Symbol Higginbotham Dennis D. (Month/Day/Year) Sonic Automotive, Inc. -- SAH - -------------------------------------- -------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) 9/18/98 5. Relationship of Reporting 6. If Amendment, Date of ------------------- Person(s) to Issuer Original (Month/Day/Year) P.O. Box 770 3. IRS or Social Se- (Check all applicable) ---------------------------- - -------------------------------------- curity Number of __ Director __10% Owner (Street) Reporting Person X Officer (give __Other 7. Individual or Joint/Group (Voluntary) -- title below)(specify below) Filing (Check Applicable Line) New Smyrna Beach, FL 32170 President-Retail Operations X Form filed by One Reporting - -------------------------------------- --------------------------- -- Person (City) (State) (Zip) __ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Title of Security 2. Amount of Securities 3. Ownership 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial (Instr. 4) Beneficially Owned Form: Direct Ownership (Instr. 5) (Instr.4) (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr.5) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Class A Common Stock 8,250 I By self as Trustee u/t/a dated September 28, 1992 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 5(b)(v). (Over) SEC 1473 (7-97) FORM 3 (continued) Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g. puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security 2. Date Exer- 3. Title and Amount of Securities 4. Conver- 5. Owner- 6. Nature of Indirect (Instr. 4) cisable and Underlying Derivative Security sion or ship Beneficial Ownership Expiration (Instr. 4) Exercise Form of (Instr. 4) Date Price of Deriv- (Month/Day/ Deri- ative Year) vative Security: ------------------------------------------------ Security Direct Date Expira- Title Amount (D) or Exer- tion or Indirect cisable Date Number (I) of Shares (Instr.5) - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- None - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explanation of Responses: ------------------------- ----------------- ** Signature of Reporting Date Person ** 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. 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 SEC 1473 (7/97)