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In short Yes, and No.
Yes, because under low loads, you can increase the load by dividing it over less working cylinders. An increased load works like taller gears. The engine will be running more efficiently, because the throttle will be wider opened, and thus less vacuum is created in the remaining cylinders.
For this to succeed, you either need to find a real old car (preferably with an Inline configuration, as they're easier to balance, and usually have easier electronics to work with, like a carburetor instead of Fuel injection).
To stop the sparks from firing is easy.
To stop the fuel from flowing, not so much.
Or, get a modern I4 engine, but you'll need to do a lot of ECU bypassing and modifications.
and NO, because most modern cars have ECUs that will blink an engine light, and either shut down, or run into limp mode.
Not only will the engine be running rough, since it's not balanced anymore; but depending on the car, the injectors might be spraying fuel in the cylinders that are not detonating, causing fuel in the exhaust, damage to the exhaust system; and the exhaust O2 sensor might be leaning out the mixture, causing the working cylinders to run way too lean.
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