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FORM 5 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
CHECK BOX IF NO LONGER WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SUBJECT TO SECTION 16. FORM 4 ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
OR FORM 5 OBLIGATIONS MAY
CONTINUE. SEE INSTRUCTION 1(B).
[X] FORM 3 HOLDINGS REPORTED Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act
FORM 4 TRANSACTIONS REPORTED 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
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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 ______10% Owner
___X__ Officer _______ Other
(give title below) (specify below)
President of Retail Operations
Higginbotham, Dennis D. Sonic Automotive, Inc. ("SAH")
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(Last) (First) (Middle) 3. IRS 4. Statement
or Social for
Security Month/Year
Number of
Reporting
Person, if an
entity
(Voluntary)
P.O. Box 770 12/98
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(Street) 5. If 7. Individual or Joint/Group Reporting (Check Applicable
Amendment, Line)
Date of _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person
Original ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
(Month/Year)
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32170
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(City) (State) (Zip) TABLE I-- NON-DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED
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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) ---------------------------- Issuer's Indirect Beneficial
Security Day/ ---------- Amount (A) or Price Fiscal Year (I) Ownership
(Instr. 3) Year) (D) (Instr. (Instr. 4) (Instr. 4)
3 and 4)
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Class A Common Stock (1) 9/16/98 J3(2) 485,294 A 17.00 485,294 (3) I As trustee (4)
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(1) A Form 3 was filed on September 28, 1998 erroneously reporting Mr. Higginbotham's acquisition of 8,250 shares of Class A Common
Stock. This Form is filed to correctly reflect his acquisition of 485,294 shares
of Class A Common Stock.
(2) Mr. Higginbotham received a combination of cash and stock in exchange for certain automobile dealerships sold to Sonic.
(3) Immediately following the transaction reported on Table I of this Form 5, Mr. Higginbotham beneficially owned 485,294 shares of
Class A Common Stock. On January 25, 1999, in connection with Sonic's 2-for-1 split of its Class A Common Stock (the "Stock Split"),
Mr. Higginbotham received a dividend of one share of Class A Common Stock for each share of (cont.) (Over) SEC 2270 (9-96) *If the
form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
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FORM 5 (CONTINUED) TABLE II -- DERIVATIVE SECURITIES
ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED
(E.G., PUTS, CALLS, WARRANTS, OPTIONS, CONVERTIBLE
SECURITIES)
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
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Title and Ownership
Number of Date Exer- Amount of 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. Year (Instr. Ownership
(Instr. 3) Security Year) (A) (D) able Date Title Shares 5) (Instr. 4) 4) (Instr. 4)
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Class A
Options to 150,000 10/6/08 Common 150,000 $9.19 150,000 D
purchase $9.19 (5) 10/6/98 A (5) (6) Stock (5) (5)
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Explanation of Responses:
Class A Common Stock that he owned at that time (i.e. a total dividend of 485,294 shares of Class A Common Stock).
(4) The shares are owned of record by The Dennis D. Higginbotham Revocable Trust, over which Mr. Higginbotham exercises control and
for which he serves as trustee.
(5) On October 6, 1998, Sonic granted Mr. Higginbotham options to purchase 75,000 shares of Class A Common Stock at an exercise
price of $18.38 per share pursuant to the Sonic 1997 Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"). In connection with the Stock Split effected
January 25, 1999, and pursuant to the terms of the Plan, Mr. Higginbotham's options were adjusted to options to purchase 150,000
shares of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $9.19 per share.
(6) The options reported above are exercisable in three equal annual installments beginning on October 6, 1999.
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of /s/ Dennis D. Higginbotham 4/12/99
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.
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