East German stalwart who was mainly based in the national Formula 2 series, where he was competitive despite his age. Klodwig entered the history books by entering his own Heck-BMW for the German Grand Prix in 1952, as it was the first ever rear-engined car to appear in a World Championship event; Heck is German for rear. Klodwig retired from racing two years afterwards, having only taken up the sport - at least on four wheels - in his mid-40's after World War Two. However Klodwig started racing on two wheels as long ago as the mid-1920's, along with his brother. When his brother died in 1929 in a crash, Ernst stopped to concentrate on the family garage, for which he had previously worked as a mechanic. However, Klodwig still did reliability trials until the Second World War. Klodwig retired from racing in 1953, then moved to West Germany in 1958, where he took over an Auto Union workshop in Cochem.

Biography last updated 10 Aug 2017