Some said it would be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show while others that it was doubtful whether it would get the full 650HP V8 treatment of the tin-top model. All we know is that Ford proved them all wrong today with unveiling the 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible that debuts at the Chicago Motor Show.

Ford says that it chose the Windy City show instead of a more high-profile show like Detroit because 20 years ago, it launched its Special Vehicles Team at the same venue. And to make sure that the car’s owners don’t forget it, it added SVT commemorative lighted sill plates.

Without getting into any names, the crew over at Jalopnik are making it a point to prove Autoblog (the dot com one) wrong on its assumption that Ford will reveal the 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible at the rapidly approaching Detroit Motor Show.

We decided to take a look around and see what we could find and the result was this official Ford video that just came out with a company representative taking us for a quick tour around the Blue Oval's booth at the Cobo center in Detroit.

In the battle of the ultra-powered pony cars, Ford currently has the upper hand thanks to its outrageous Shelby GT500 that was unveiled last month at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

On the other hand, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 may fall 100HP short of its archrival’s 650HP, but it will offer a convertible version of the 580HP ZL1 in late 2012, while buyers of the Shelby currently have only one option: the coupe.

Ford has a lot in store for us at this week's 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, with the Blue Oval having already revealed the revamped Flex and Mustang models, while we're still waiting for the brand new Escape crossover.

Today, we got our first look at the 2013MY Mustang series that includes the regular V6 and V8 GT models, plus the 444HP Boss 302 and the almighty, Camaro ZL1-rivalling Shelby GT500 with 650 wild ponies under its hood.

By now, you’ve read all about the revamped Mustang, including the high-performance Boss 302 and Laguna Seca versions. It all pales in comparison to the Shelby GT500 that Ford is planning to roll out at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday.

Powered by what Ford claims to be the world’s most powerful production V8 engine, the GT500 packs no less than 650-horses and 600 lb-ft of torque.

That’s no typo: the 5.8-liter supercharged V8 has 41 horses more than the McLaren F1, 24 more than the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and an amazing 70 more than the original Lamborghini Murcielago. On the downside, it falls one pony short of the Ferrari Enzo.