I'm quite impressed now that I've seen more.
Nonetheless, I can see subtle references from the Phaeton. It's in the front stance as well as the mid-level wood trim in the interior - it's part of the extended wood package on the Phaeton, and I don't think you would have found it in any car before CL:
That said, I think this is what we should expect from a flagship Coupe. We can only expect the very best from Mercedes, especially if its restricted only in 500/600 variants. And that's a lot of money for the CL - you get your money's worth, maybe a little less, in my opinion.