Excerpts from the book:

Everybody knew the fintails had to go. Karl Wilfert, talented head of the Daimler-Benz passenger car design department, had already tried in vain to get rid of them before the W111 was to be launched, but it was at that time too late. The new W111 coupe/cabriolet, designed by Friedrich Geiger, a member of the Wilfert team, showed successfully, how a well balanced design can look like. Now it was only logical to follow that concept and style for the new Mercedes W108 in the same fashion. The coupe/cabriolet are regarded today as some of the best designs to have ever left Stuttgart and also the W108/109 250, 280 and 300 sedans still look classy today with their timeless, restrained elegance. With its high radiator grille and the vertical headlights they represent an era where every boy and girl could point out that this is a Mercedes-Benz. But if it would have been for Paul Bracq, the cars would have had a different front, one that looks like the W116 already with horizontally positioned headlights.

Technically the new Mercedes cars were based on the W111. The old engines were enlarged to 2.5 l (152.6 cu in) by increasing the bore by two mm (0.079 in) and lengthening the stroke by six mm (0.24 in). Larger valves and induction passages were other changes and the crankshaft was mounted on seven instead of previously four bearings. A six-plunger injection pump was the same one that was used in the 230SL and 300SE.>>>