  We present observations and analysis of the host-less and luminous type Ia
supernova 2022ilv, illustrating it is part of the 2003fg-like family, often
referred to as super-Chandrasekhar (Ia-SC) explosions. The ATLAS light curve
shows evidence of a short-lived, pulse-like early excess, similar to that
detected in another luminous type Ia supernova (SN 2020hvf). The light curve is
broad and the early spectra are remarkably similar to SN 2009dc. Adopting a
redshift of $z=0.026 \pm 0.005$ for SN 2022ilv based on spectral matching, our
model light curve requires a large $^{56}$Ni mass in the range $0.7-1.5$
M$_{\odot}$, and a large ejecta mass in the range $1.6-2.3$ M$_{\odot}$. The
early excess can be explained by fast-moving SN ejecta interacting with a thin,
dense shell of circumstellar material close to the progenitor ($\sim 10^{13}$
cm), a few hours after the explosion. This may be realised in a
double-degenerate scenario, wherein a white dwarf merger is preceded by
ejection of a small amount ($\sim 10^{-3}-10^{-2}$ M$_{\odot}$) of hydrogen and
helium-poor tidally stripped material. A deep pre-explosion Pan-STARRS1 stack
indicates no host galaxy to a limiting magnitude of $r \sim 24.5$. This implies
a surprisingly faint limit for any host of $M_r \gtrsim -11$, providing further
evidence that these types of explosion occur predominantly in low-metallicity
environments.
