Once the Chevelles were gone, this was the replacement. The new power was definitely more than the L78 Chevelle and felt more in line with the tuned COPO 427. In actual fact, it would appear that an LS2 makes more power than an L72 engine. http://www.corvettefever.com/techarticles/corp_1009_chevy_l71_l72_corvette_engine/
Of course, improvements would be expected over the last 45 years. What I like most is the hp + gas mileage because we put a fair few miles on the cars each summer.