On my way to work, the ignition system stopped firing. I could hear the engine winding down and kicking back on..

two questions :

first, i left the car in gear (4th 60mph)

how terrible is it to keep the motor running @ 4000rpm WITHOUT fire (spark plugs were not firing.) is the oil and water pump mechanical? shouldn't they work as long as the motor is turning.

and any ideas on why this happened? I suspect the distributer , but i a bit of smoke comming off the back of the motor.

oil and water are good, nothing under the car.
Turns over but will not start.

Anyone in FL know where I can find Strong SI motors or even a ZC motor?

Thanks,
Tom