Erwin Bauer (born July 17, 1912 in Stuttgart; died June 3, 1958 in Cologne) was a German Formula One driver who raced a privately-entered Veritas in his one World Championship Grand Prix.

Bauer became famous for racing an undermatched Lotus to a fourth place in the 1954 1000km Nürburgring, and thus, providing Lotus with one of its earliest successes. His sole race in the Formula One World Championship came in 1953 at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, the same track where he was killed five years later in a 2-litre sports Ferrari where, not realising he had passed the chequered flag, kept on racing and crashed fatally on what was supposed to be his slowing-down lap.