I used to work for Fiat and Alfa for neary 6 years.I oved how the Alfas drive.They are so smooth and handle really well.
You say its a X reg.Im sure they didnt make a 3.2 V6 on a Xreg.They did a 2.5 V6.The Alfa GTA,s were a 3.2 V6.They were a nice car.
The knocking noise on the frnt could be a top suspension arm,they are common for wearing/knocking.