FORM 3 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 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 Capo, Thomas P. Requiring Statement ------------------------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) 12/17/2001 (Month/Day/Year) --------------------------- 443 West Merrill Street 3. I.R.S. Identification ------------------------------------------------- (Street) Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary) Birmingham, Michigan 48009 ------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- (City) (State) (Zip) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Sonic Automotive, Inc. - SAH --------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- 5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer 6. If Amendment, Date of (Check all applicable) Original (Month/Day/Year) ---------------------------------------- X Director 10% Owner 7. Individual or Joint/Group ------- ------- Filing (Check Applicable Line) Officer (give Other (specify ------- title ------- below) below) X Form filed by One Reporting Person ----- 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 Ownership (Instr. 4) Beneficially Owned Form: Direct (Instr. 5) (Instr. 4) (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------- ---------------------------------------------- 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 Instructions 5(b)(v). (Over) SEC 1473 (7-97) 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 control number. 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 Date (Instr. 4) Exercise Form of (Instr. 5) (Month/Day/Year) Price of Deriv- Deriv- vative ative Security: Security Direct -------- -------- --------------------------------- ----------- (D) or Date Expira- Amount Indirect Exer- tion Title Or (I) cisable Date Number (Instr. 5) of Shares ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Explanation of Responses: ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal /s/ Thomas P. Capo 12-21-01 Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). ------------------------------- ------------- 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 SEC 1473 (7-97)