Theoretically, I think that an ignition coil could maybe produce a weak spark or an intermittent misfire on it's way to quitting. More often it seems like they just die suddenly. At least, when mine went that's how it went: One minute the truck was running, the next it was dead as a doornail.
Another possibility that occurs to me is a plugged cat. I once saw an engine that would run smoothly at idle but fell flat on it's face at high RPM or when torque was asked of it. Although that should be independent of temperature...
