Upon examining the 4 blade stock fan, I noticed that it had a subtle hairline crack halfway across one blade near the base. So far, I've had one of these fans bury itself in my radiator, while taking a turn, and another one just plain break at low speed. At the last SUNI, a guy had one give way and go through his hood at road speed. If Rootes were still in business, this fan would be a recall item for sure. I recommend strongly against using the 4 blade stock fan. If you do, take it completely off and inspect it frequently (magnifluxing can't hurt).
I went to the parts bin and discovered an older 6-blade fan. This item was used on some of the S-1s and maybe other early Alpines as well as some of the sedans. It is stouter, and less likely to crack, but about twice as heavy as the stock fan (plate steel and rivets vs. thinner pressed and welded steel). I decided to give my Honda Civic electric fan a chance to earn it's keep. It is mounted ahead of the radiator. I put everything back together, but left out the mechanical fan. In moderate evening temperatures, the engine temps were comparable to running both mechanical and electric fans. I will check it out in the heat later. The coolant leak was fixed. It looks a little weird with no stock fan, but I can definitely tell the difference in engine response. I wouldn't take this setup to SUNI, but it looks like it has promise for a daily driver. It also made me think about lightening the flywheel.
Rex Funk