Da Silva Ramos took his first steps in motorsport in March 1947 at the age of 21, competing in the Interlagos Grand Prix in Brazil behind the wheel of an MG TC. By 1953 he had moved to France, where he began racing an Aston Martin DB2/4 in sports car events. The following year brought a series of competitive outings: at Montlhéry he crossed the line second in the Paris Cup but claimed outright victory in the Coupe de Montlhéry, and he shared a car with Jean-Paul Colas at the 24 Hours of Le Mans before a rear axle failure ended their run after 14 hours. Elsewhere in 1954, he was leading the Tour de France Auto when he ran out of fuel, retired from the Rally of Morocco with a damaged engine, and drove a Gordini Type 18 in the Salon Cup before another retirement.
His 1955 season was similarly varied. Driving with co-driver Lucas in the Monte Carlo Rally, the pair were disqualified for speeding and classified 46th overall. He won the Coupe de Montlhéry for the second consecutive year, took victory in the Rally Sable-Solesmes, and finished fifth in the GT class of the Mille Miglia with co-driver Vidille.
Da Silva Ramos made his Formula One World Championship debut on 19 June 1955 and went on to start seven Grands Prix in total, accumulating two championship points. His Formula One appearances were spread across the mid-to-late 1950s, a period when drivers routinely competed across multiple disciplines in the same season.
Da Silva Ramos's place in racing history extended well beyond his on-track results. He was the last living participant of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race remembered for the catastrophic accident that claimed lives in the grandstands. In 2022 he served as an expert contributor to Emmanuel Reyé's documentary film Le Mans 55 : Une tragédie française, sharing first-hand testimony of that pivotal day.
On the death of Kenneth McAlpine in April 2023, da Silva Ramos became the oldest living former driver to have competed in a Formula One Grand Prix. Following the death of Paul Goldsmith in September 2024 — who had driven in the Indianapolis 500 when it counted as a round of the World Championship — da Silva Ramos became the oldest living former driver to have taken part in a World Championship round. After the death of Hans Herrmann in 2026, he also held the distinction of being the last surviving F1 World Championship points scorer from the 1950s.
Da Silva Ramos died in Biarritz, France, on 4 May 2026, aged 100.
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