Dacia & Driver

Finalist in the German Photobook Prize in the Documentary Photography category, 2026.

“Dacia & Driver” documents a vanishing chapter of Romanian history. Between 2009 and 2013, Horatiu Sava portrayed Dacia drivers together with their cars in Transylvania and the Banat.

The Dacia, a licensed version of the Renault 12, was built from 1969 and once made up around 90 percent of all cars in Romania. It stood for the apparent equality of socialist society. More than two decades after the 1989 revolution it is still part of the Romanian streetscape, but its meaning has changed: the symbol of equality has become a marker of social difference, often the last affordable means of transport for people with little money.

At the heart of the book is the photographer’s personal narrative. Sava weaves childhood memories of family journeys across Romania into a tribute to today’s Dacia drivers. They are the true protagonists: people who keep their ageing cars running with dignity and ingenuity. Readers of Sava’s first book, “Transsilvanien”, will already have met the Dacia there, in individual pictures and in the dedication to his parents.

The visual essay is complemented by a literary contribution from Sabin Tambrea, the German-Romanian actor, artist and author. His text includes an extended passage from his book “Vaterländer” and adds a further layer to the pictures: a reflection on identity, heritage and the objects that connect us to our past.

“Dacia & Driver” is published by Corandus Books in a trilingual edition, designed by Christian Hölzl and Nina Hardwig (h.und.b communication, Munich). The first edition comprises 100 numbered copies. The book is a documentary project and at the same time a meditation on memory, equality and the quiet persistence of those who keep the past alive on four wheels.

Signed and numbered, with a fine art print of your choice from the gallery below.

About the book
Horatiu Sava: Dacia & Driver
Photographs: Horatiu Sava
Texts: Horatiu Sava, Sabin Tambrea
Image selection and sequencing: Kai-Olaf Hesse
Design: Christian Hölzl, Nina Hardwig, h.und.b communication, Munich
Printing and binding: BluePrint AG, Munich
First edition, 100 numbered copies
112 pages, 75 photographs
Trilingual: English, Romanian, German
Format: 28.5 × 25.5 cm
Binding: clothbound hardcover with white foil-stamped title and two-thirds-height dust jacket