Erwin Bauer

Erwin Bauer (27 July 1912 - 2 August 1958): German racing driver from Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, who participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix. Made his sole Formula One appearance at the 1953 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on 2 August 1953, driving a Veritas Meteor entered privately. Retired from the race without scoring championship points, his brief F1 career ending with a mechanical failure. Before Formula One, Bauer competed in German motorsport during the late 1940s and early 1950s, racing in hillclimbs and circuit races that were helping rebuild Germany's motorsport infrastructure following World War II.

His single Formula One entry at the Nürburgring represented his attempt to compete at the highest level of German motorsport during the championship's early years. After his unsuccessful F1 attempt, continued competing in German national events through the mid-1950s. Tragically killed in a racing accident on 2 August 1958, exactly five years to the day after his Formula One appearance, dying at age 46. The circumstances of his fatal accident occurred during a German national race.

Though his Formula One career consisted of a single retirement, Bauer was part of the generation of German drivers who helped restart their country's motorsport traditions in the difficult post-war years.