Bauer was the first continental European allowed to drive a Lotus outside the British Isles. At the Eifel race at the Nürburgring in 1954, he stepped in at short notice and brought the little Lotus to a remarkable fourth place in the class up to 1000 cc.
Its only start in the automobile world championship took place on August 2, 1953 . Again at the Nürburgring he drove a Veritas RS, but retired on the first lap. Erwin Bauer drove for several years in the German sports car championship, in 1956 together with Willi Heeks in a Mercedes 220 SE and from 1956 with the Austrian Gotfrid Köchert in his 2-liter Ferrari . Erwin Bauer had a fatal accident in this car at the 1000 km race in 1958 , again at the Nürburgring. He was waved off in tenth, but overlooked the race director with the checkered flag and drove on. A few kilometers after the finish - the race was long over - he collided with a slow vehicle that was on its slowdown lap and had a fatal accident.