/------------------------------/
/ OMB APPROVAL /
/------------------------------/
/ OMB Number: 3235-0287 /
/ Expires: December 31, 2001 /
/ Estimated average burden /
/ hours per response...... 0.5 /
/------------------------------/
+--------+
| FORM 4 | UNITED STATES 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*
Wright Theodore M.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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 5/02
---------------------------------------------------
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
---------------------------------
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
X Director X Officer ___ 10% Owner ___ Other
--- ---
(give title below) (specify below)
Vice President and CFO
----------------------------------------------------------------
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 5-1-02 M 10,000 A $ 6.00 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-2-02 M 25,376 A $ 6.00 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-2-02 M 4,624 A $7.9375 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-3-02 M 45,376 A $7.9375 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-3-02 M 4,624 A $9.1875 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-6-02 M 34,000 A $9.1875 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-1-02 S (2) 10,000 D $ 36.85 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-2-02 S (2) 30,000 D $ 36.74 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-3-02 S (2) 50,000 D $ 37.74 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A Common Stock 5-6-02 S (2) 34,000 D $ 39.16 43,775 D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option to $6.00 5-1-02 M 10,000
Purchase
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option to
Purchase $6.00 5-2-02 M 25,376
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option to
Puchase $7.9375 5-2-02 M 4,624
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option to
Purchase $7.9375 5-3-02 M 45,376
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option to
Purchase $9.1875 5-3-02 M 4,624
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option to
Purchase $9.1875 5-6-02 M 34,000
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
(Instr. 4) (Instr. 4)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11-17-98 11-17-01 Class A
Common 10,000 D
Stock
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) 11-17-01 Class A
Common 25,376 D
Stock
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4-5-01 10-5-10 Class A
Common 4,624 D
Stock
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4-5-01 10-5-10 Class A
Common 45,376 D
Stock
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4-6-99 10-6-08 Class A
Common 4,624 D
Stock
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4-6-99 10-6-08 Class A
Common 34,000 331,676 D
Stock
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explanation of Responses: (1) Of the options to purchase a total of 25,376
shares of Sonic's Class A Common Stock shown for Mr. Wright in the table above,
options to purchase 1,125 shares became exercisable on 11-17-98, options to
purchase 12,126 shares became exercisable on 11-17-99, and options to purchase
12,125 shares became exercisable on 11-17-00. (2) All of the sales listed in
this report, as well as the sale of 1,000 shares of Sonic's Class A common stock
previously reported by Mr. Wright on May 10, 2002, occurred pursuant to a Rule
10b5-1 trading plan and agreement between Mr. Wright and IJL/Wachovia, a
division of Wachovia Securities, Inc.
/s/ Theodore M. Wright 6-10-02
------------------------------- -----------------
**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 is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.