Ernst Klodwig

Ernst Klodwig (8 September 1903 - 19 February 1973): German racing driver from Aachen who competed in Formula One at the 1952 German Grand Prix. Participated in one World Championship race without scoring points, retiring after 6 laps with mechanical failure. At age 48 years and 314 days at the time of his sole grand prix, Klodwig was one of the older drivers to make a Formula One debut during the championship's early years. His racing career began before World War II, competing in German national motorsport events during the 1930s when German racing was dominated by the legendary Silver Arrows of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union.

After the war, Klodwig returned to racing in the late 1940s and early 1950s, competing in German national events and hillclimbs. His 1952 German Grand Prix appearance at the Nürburgring, driving a privately-entered Veritas, represented his attempt to compete at the highest level of post-war German motorsport. The Veritas was a German racing car built using BMW mechanicals, one of several small German manufacturers attempting to rebuild the country's racing industry after the war. Klodwig's brief Formula One appearance lasted just six laps before mechanical failure ended his race and his championship career.

Represented the generation of German drivers who bridged pre-war and post-war motorsport, maintaining Germany's racing traditions during difficult reconstruction years. After his brief Formula One appearance, Klodwig retired from active competition and returned to business in Aachen. Passed away in 1973 at age 69. Though his Formula One career was measured in minutes rather than races, Klodwig was part of Germany's motorsport heritage during its rebuilding period following World War II.